Star Vs The Forces of Evil: The Search
by Ms.AllThingsFiction
Summary: Marco has finally discovered Stars secret. She has a crush on him but she has left Earth. Dazed and confused, he follows her to admit his own feelings for her. But time is of essence, and Marco finds himself fighting for her love and loyalty. And fighting for their lives as Toffee threatens to destroy their worlds. But will duty stand in the way of what they want?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Since I refuse to believe that SVTFOE won't be coming back until Summer 2017 I've decided to write this in hopes of satisfying my craving. This continues after Marco discovers that Star does have a crush on him. I plan on writing until the new season comes out or I might just keep writing even after that. Each chapter will be around 1,000 words or more, never less unless I'm experiencing extreme writers block. I also have a job so I'll try to post as often as I can. I will be incorporating new ideas to the show so I hope you won't judge me too badly, there may or may not be some mature content later on. I will take any constructive criticism with dignity (you can't please everyone). I do not own Star Vs The Forces of Evil or any trademarks. I hope you enjoy!_

 _Chapter 1: Marco_

She was gone. Star was gone and she had revealed a major secret. And there was nothing I could do about it. I stood there in the empty doorway, watching as the room slowly returned to how it was before it was occupied. It was bare, with only the spare bed, dresser, and nightstand. The towers she had conjured from thin air were gone, leaving behind gaping holes in the side of the house.

"Ahhh!" I yelled madly, gripping my hair in both of my hands. "STAR!" I forgot all about the party going on downstairs. About every single person had witnessed the scene and her leaving. I forgot all about my girlfriend who no doubt now thought I had a crush on Star.

Did I? Did I have a crush on Star? I would've known, right? Or was I using Jackie to cover up those feelings? I'll admit that Song Day had uncovered a big box of feelings I wasn't aware about. I didn't even known if I wanted to examine them or not.

I shook my head viciously, I had to focus on finding her first. I would worry about that later. Why has she even left? All she has said was that she had to leave Earth and go back to Mewni. Had I lost my best friend forever?

"Marco?" My dad appeared behind me, concerned and sad as he peered around my shoulder and into the room. "Are you all right?"

"No, she's gone. She just left with no explanation. No warning." I stormed into the room, throwing punches at the air. I whirled around to see my mom walk up beside him. "She just left! Just like that! She admits that she has a crush on me and she just leaves?!"

"Wait," my dad interrupted with a raised hand, "Star has a crush on you?"

My mom gently put a hand on my arm, her eyes kind and soft. "Marco, did you really not know?" The sweet scent of the perfume she wore drifted to me, wrapping me in temporary calmness.

"I-I-I" I couldn't speak. "NO!"

Dad walked into the room, "Well. Do you like Star?" He opened an empty drawer then closed it back up.

Once again my mind jumbled up. It made no sense, like when Glossarick randomly rambles on about nonsense. "She's my best friend, of course I like her."

I paid no attention to the shadow in the hallway until it exclaimed, "You what?" We all turned around to see Jackie standing in the hallway. Her green eyes hurt.

"Marco likes Star." My dad ruffled through his apron. "Honestly, Jackie, you've got to learn to pay attention." He pulled out a pizza nugget and ate it.

Jackie turned to me, tugging at her wavy blonde hair. "You like Star?"

"She's my friend," I muttered, "of course I like her. As a friend. She's my girlfriend-I mean she's a girl and she's my friend. I don't know, Jackie. I don't know anymore."

Jackie was dealing with the voices in her head too. She murmured to herself. "I knew the rumors were true."

My mom turned around, announcing to no one in particular about getting rid of the kids downstairs. Five minutes later I heard them all complaining and leaving.

"You know what, Marco?" Jackie angrily said to me. "Come find me once you know but as of right now, we're through. See you at school." She pulled out her skateboard and skated down the hall, then jumped the railing and followed it down.

"Wait, Jackie!"

I ran to catch up to her but tripped down the last three stairs. I stumbled up, reached the door, and stared out into the dark night. The street empty and dark and lonely. I slowly closed the door, feeling vulnerable and very confused. Did I have a girlfriend anymore? I banged my head against the wall, hoping it would help but it didn't.

"Why did you leave with no explanation whatsoever?" I growled under my breath.

I felt a comforting hand on my head. "Everything will be better in the morning. Why don't you get some rest to clear your head?" My mom gave me a gentle pat on the cheek and pushed me toward the stairs.

"Goodnight."

The next morning was no better. I woke with a pounding headache, I tossed and turned all night. I slipped on my red hoodie, grimly ate a bowl of sugary cereal, and got on the bus. As soon as I stepped foot on it I was peppered with questions about Star that I didn't know how to answer.

Star Fan 13 slid into my seat like snake, breathing hard through her mouth. "Is she coming back? If not does that mean I'm the new Star? Let me tell you I have no idea how to cast that narwhal spell she's always casting. I don't know how to do any spell."

I sighed, sliding down in my seat as I pulled my hoodie over my head. "Go away, please."

As on the bus, I was bowled over with more questions at school. Jackie didn't speak to me in third period math class. I slid into my usual seat, trying to ignore everyone. Janna sat with Star in the back but today she tossed a guy from the seat next to me and claimed it as her own.

Pulling out a purple and blue notebook she turned to me, "Okay. What's the plan? How are we going to get her back?"

"We can't. She said something about having to leave Earth forever. The only way I could see her is if I went to her. But I don't know how to do that." I pretended to listen to troll teacher and reached for a pen.

"Yeah, she does live in another dimension. Too bad we don't have some of those dimensional scissors like Princess Pony Head does." Janna doodles a pair of skulls with smiley faces on her paper. After Troll Teacher shot her a mean look, Janna feigned jotting down the math problem on the board. "You know, just severe a spot in the time space continuum."

"Dimensional scissors..." I felt stupid. I had those! Why didn't it occur to me? Then another daunting thought approached. What if the scissors left when Star did? What if she took all ethereal objects with her? No, Hekapoo said I earned them. They were mine. I didn't go through sixteen years of trials to have it all vanish.

I stood, bringing Troll Teacher to a pause. "Marco. What are you doing standing up? Sit down."

"Sorry, I gotta-I gotta go do something." I ran from the classroom. I didn't stop until I reached my front door.

I have to admit that leaving school early is totally cool but you shouldn't do it if you're a minor. The house was dark and quiet. My parents had to be at work or the grocery store and I thanked heaven because they would haven been angry to find out I skipped school only to search for Star instead of learning long division.

I threw a few essentials into a pack and threw it over my shoulder. I raced up the stairs three at a time, as if my life depended on it. Slamming the door shut behind me I sprinted to my nightstand and rummaged through it. I found broken pencils, notes from Jackie, a bottle cap, pieces of old string, and at the very bottom wrapped in an old cotton T-shirt were my pair of scissors.

"Bingo," I whispered. I took a step back, praying and wishing they took me to Mewni and not the Underworld with Tom. Slicing clean in the air, the blades opened an oval slit, just big enough for me to fit through. "Yes!" With one last wish, I jumped through. Hoping I wouldn't land on a spike on the other side.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Star

As we traveled through the portal my mother handed me a handkerchief. I barely had time to blow my nose before landing. Any friendship I had with Marco was totally ruined, but I had to tell him. I owed him the truth. I had to let him know if I was never to see him again. The portal stopped spinning, dumping me in the throne room, my mom landed gracefully beside me. My father, King River, sat on his throne eating a hotdog.

"Star!" He stuffed the rest in his mouth and brushed the crumbs away. "Thank goodness you're safe. Why are you crying?"

I sniffled, brushing my hair out of my face. "Because I left my heart back on Earth and I'm afraid I'll never get it back."

Queen Moon swatted my arm, "Don't be silly. You'll find love at your own pace. Besides, this is the safest place for you." She lifted the crown from her head, tossing it aside. "We must protect you. Toffee is out there." The diamonds on her cheeks began to glow brightly until she was clothed in blinding white light. I was forced to look away. Instead of her normal queenly attire she was dressed in silver metal armor. Unlike on Song Day, she had two wickedly sharp swords strapped to both hips. Her powder blue hair was braided down her back with a silver ribbon. "Earth was a temporary solution. It is my fault that you became so attached. But I just don't why you are."

I threw my hands up, "I had no choice in going there. It is your fault. It's my home. Besides, I thought you liked Marco." A flurry of forest fairies formed a hurricane around me. They dropped a black chain-mail dress over my head, my red horns were replaced with a black and red tiara with a large heart shaped ruby in the middle. The fairies tied my hair back in a bun, leaving a few tendrils loose around my ears. They dropped my wand back in my hands.

"Uh, can I have my horns back?" I waited for the fairies to comply but they didn't.

My mom sighed in that queenly way she did, the one that never failed to annoy me. "Marco is a good friend. But we need someone powerful and strong enough, someone who will be able to protect you better."

"Uh, Marco knows karate. He's fought monsters by my side. He's survived sixteen years of Hekapoo's trails to gain his own dimensional scissors. He's strong enough. Who could possibly be more so than him?"

The throne room was then filled with scorching heat and flames. My ex-boyfriend Tom stepped out of the fire, a sneaky grin on his face. He opened his arms as the fire went out. He was dressed in a black suit with a grey vest and grey skulls for buttons, his black shoes were polished until they shone. A red rose was tucked into the front pocket over his heart. His red hair was spiked up.

"Tom?" I said after I quit staring. I aimed my wand at him, ready to blast him into the next dimension. "What are you doing here?"

He turned to the king and queen, bowing deeply. "Queen Moon, King River, an honor to see you again. Thank you for inviting me." He faced me again. "Star, you look sensational."

I shot a murderous look at my parents. Glowering at them with enough heat to dry slugs. "Wait, you invited him here? You know we broke up. I do not want to see him."

Tom smirked as he approached me, but he was wise enough to keep a reasonable distance. "I came to see my fiancée."

I laughed nervously. "Fi-fiancée? What are you talking about?" I glanced at my parents who looked exceedingly guilty. "Why is this nut job calling me his fiancée?"

My mom sighed again and I had half a mind to toss her off the tallest Mewnian mountain. "Star, as you know, we have hundreds of traditions and customs. You don't know all of them. You aren't aware of the more important ones. One being that the crown princess must be engaged before or by her fifteenth birthday. "

I laughed deeply and freely. I laughed until tears flowed down my face. "Oh that's funny. Next you'll tell me I'm have to marry Tom."

The Queen stayed silent, then gestured for us to follow her. The armor dress I wore was a bit heavy, forcing me to take Tom's left arm to play catch up. She led us to the royal library, waving her right hand in order for the doors to dramatically swing open. Tom tried to place a hand on my lower back but removed it when I scowled at him. He smiled down at me innocently.

Using a door I had never noticed before, my mom disappeared into a small dusty room. An ancient little bookshelf stood all lonely, with piles of aging and cracked books resting in it. She selected a brown leather book from the middle shelf, blowing dust off. The book opened to the middle and it began to speak:

Listen clear

The crown princess must be happily tethered

Before or by the fifteenth year

Or be buried

Under the responsibility

And face desolation

Upon her own coronation.

The book slammed shut and floated back into its spot. The voice faded away, leaving me with wide eyes. That was an awful prophecy. Who wrote it?

"I HAVE TO BE ENGAGED BY THE TIME IM FIFTEEN?" I asked loudly. I whirled around to Tom, cornering him with my wand. "I'm not getting engaged or marrying you." He lifted his hands in surrender but I didn't drop my pose. "Is this even legal?"

Placing a commanding hand on my shoulder, my mom made me stand down. "Yes. You at least must be betrothed. Tom has agreed to help us."

I stomped my foot like a little kid denied ice cream. Or maybe a child who had just been told she would be getting a shot. "No. I will not marry him or even pretend to marry him. I'd rather throw myself into a volcano."

My mom waved my statement away, pffting loudly. "With you as queen of the Underworld you would have protection from Toffee. Tom has many useful resources and hundreds of thousands of guard under his rule. You will be safe there, Star. You have to see that."

I waved the hand that held the wand around haphazardly. It shot out a slimy slug that landed on Toms face, he fell back with a cry. "I can take care of myself, mom. I'm not doing this."

"Daughter," Moon placed her hands on my shoulders once more. But this time in pleading and motherly concern. "There comes a time when we must do what we must to survive and keep our loved ones safe. I know how you feel about Marco, and maybe once upon a time you two could have become King and Queen of Mewni and ruled with strength and joy, but this isn't about our feelings anymore. I need you safe and out of the way. I rather you accept this willingly than me force you into it."

Tears gathered painfully in my eyes. "Fine," I whispered brokenly. Tom victoriously grinned, but that melted off as I took off running out of the library, bowling over guards and councilmen. I ran down the corridor that led to my old room. Launching myself on to the covers, I wept. I was beginning to feel like those Disney Earth princesses such as Ariel the Mermaid or Snow White with the ugly midgets. Servants entered and left my room, packing up my things to take to the Underworld. My frilly blue room turned into an empty prison as the hours went by. The only thing I wouldn't be taking would be my bed, dresser, and the old man that lived in the corner of my room.

I spent the rest of the afternoon fiddling with spells that would make the black dress less heavy. Nothing worked. How I wish I were back on Earth, sharing a tub of rocky road ice cream with Marco while we watched a Karate movie.

A slip of paper fluttered underneath the door, an order commanding that I dine with Tom and my parents. Balling it up, I tossed it in the air and shot a red laser through it. Tom could go to Hell, literally.

I was Princess Star Butterfly, I could do as I pleased. If I wanted to see Marco, I would go see Marco. I snipped a portal in the middle of the room and prepared myself to jump through it but stopped at the last second. I could put him in danger, and that was the last thing I wanted. I wanted to keep my best friend safe and alive. I closed the portal and tossed myself back on my bed.

A soft knock sounded at the door and Tom walked in without my say so. I stiffened as he stopped in front of me. "What do you want, Tom?"

He frowned at my anger. "Come on, Starship. We were together once and it wasn't so bad. I love you." He took my hand.

I pulled my hand back, "Your anger is what drove us apart. Besides...I don't feel that way...about you anymore."

His eyes were angry enough that I could see the flames behind it. "You like Diaz."

The faint signs of tears pricked my tear ducts as I nodded. "I'm sorry. Do you see now why this would be a bad idea? Besides, we're fourteen!"

He turned away from me, walking to the window. He was thoughtful as he leaned against the blue banister. "I want to keep you safe. If that means being married to someone who doesn't return my feelings, I'll do it. I'll keep you safe, we'll get married. I don't care if you don't love me back." He glanced at me. The hopeful look in his eyes made me feel disgusted with myself.

"You would sacrifice your happiness to keep me safe?" Guilt flowed through me.

He approached me slowly, nodding. "Yes, I want what little you will give me."

Cue the tears that followed. "Oh, Tom. But why?"

"Because-I love you. I'll try to get my anger under control. I'll even hire a new anger management counselor."

"Fine."

He left with a small, hurt smile. He kissed my cheek and shut the door behind him.

I slept like a rock. All the worries and stress weighed down on me like a pile of bricks. I couldn't figure out how to get the dress off so I just slept in it. It was basically a suit of amor with a muffin bottom. I was going to have to get a new outfit, it should not be exhausting doing nothing in clothing.

A tiny fairy woke me in the morning. I could see her lips moving in indication that she was speaking to me and I briefly wondered what she was doing at the Diazes home. Then I remembered I wasn't on Earth anymore.

"What?" I dazedly asked. I pushed myself up, swiping at my eyes to clear them.

"Tom is waiting for you, your majesty. He has his carriage ready in the entrance hall." The fairy fixed my hair and stuck the heart shaped crown back in my hair. She handed me my wand and pushed me into the hallway.

I narrowed my eyes at her impertinence as she fluttered away. "How rude." I stomped my way angrily to the entrance hall where my parents were waiting along with Tom. He wore a white and red suit with a withered black rose in his front pocket.

My mom walked to me, "Chin up, Star." She lowered her voice as she neared the bottom step, holding out one hand. I placed mine in hers and she helped me descend the rest. "This is for your own good. It is time you became a true princess."

I sadly nodded, watching as the house servants finished packing the rest of my belongings. "I always believed I would marry someone I love. Like you did with dad. I like Marco."

Wrapping her arms around me, she pulled me into a hug as she sighed. "We thought the same. I thought it would be you and Marco also but things change. Life forces us to make sacrifices. I'm sorry. But look at the bright side, though you have to be engaged by or before fifteen, you don't need to be married until you come of age and that's twenty-one." She held me at arms length.

I became excited, I still had time. "So if we defeat Toffee before I'm twenty-one I could still have a chance to be with Marco!"

This time she let go of me and took a few cautious steps back, as if afraid I'd pummel her with a hurricane of crystal cupcakes. I had to admit the idea had prospect. "Actually, no. An engagement in Mewni is binding. To break it would bring severe consequences. The only way out is if Tom were to back out, or if you were already promised to another. And we both know those are definite no's."

I raised my wand, ready to unleash a stampede of warnicorns. Then I lowered it and cried. "I can't do this."

As my mom spoke her voice cracked with sadness. "He will keep you safe. After the overthrow of the king of the underworld, Tom and his father became the ruling family of the Underworld. His father doesn't want the throne so Tom is king. He has legions and thousands of guards willing to protect you. You need to live with him. Though you will have your own rooms to maintain your reputation." She nodded to Tom, signaling the time to leave had come. He stepped forward. But was yanked back as my father brought him face to face with him.

"If you hurt my daughter I will feed you to the trolls," the king growled. Tom gulped and nodded.

He vanished from my fathers grasp and materialized at the opposite side of the room. He straightened his tie as he opened a portal with his own pair of cross bone scissors. "It's time. Let's go." He climbed into the carriage first, then offered a hand, a smile and pulled me up. Then we were off to another world. Further away from Marco.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Marco

According to Queen Moon, the moment I tumbled out of the portal was the moment that the portal Tom and Star were using closed. I missed them by literally a second.

"You let Star go off with Tom?" I exploded. "Why would you do that?" My hands tugged at my hair painfully.

Queen Moon's powder blue eyes softened with compassion. "I'm sorry, Marco. But we must keep her safe. Toffee is back."

I quit pacing, "Toffee? He's back? How?"

"Ludo is recruited him into his monster army in attempt to get Stars wand as you may know." She turned to walk to the balcony that overlooked the Mewnian kingdom. "After the many fails to do so, Toffee managed to overthrow Ludo and gain the army. Now Toffee has taken over Ludo's body and is using him. I've fought him before and defeating him will be no easy task. I will do anything to keep my daughter safe. So will Tom."

I scoffed at the mention of Tom. "Pfft. Tom and Star can barely get along." I dug in my pockets, my fingers wrapping around the scissors. I pulled them out, focusing on the Underworld. "I'm going to get Star."

"Wait," the queen said. She held a hand up that radiated command. "Marco, there is something you should know first. Star and Tom are to be married."

I laughed at her attempt at a joke. Then I jumped through a portal again. As I landed on the other side it immediately got hotter. It looked nothing like Toms old crib. It was empty and abandoned. Extinguished torches lay on the floor, blackened and charred. Bones were scatter aimlessly into corners.

"No one has been here for ages," I muttered to myself. I checked out the other rooms, searching for any clues as to where they might be. No luck. I backtracked into the main room, the one where Tom annihilated me at Ping-Pong. Where had he taken Star?

I explored deeper into the area and found caves. I followed the passageway of a cave about three miles down. The air was staler and began to smell like sulfur. The rocks shimmered from the heat and I started sweating profusely.

Suddenly, I felt a draft of cool air and I ran towards it. The entry was blocked by a huge circular rock, but I could feel the cool, crisp air coming from the edges.

"Oh, that feels amazing."

I set to work to try to pry the rock away from the entry, after I was done I noticed my bloody hands. "Ow," I whispered painfully. I slipped inside, knelt in the dark corner, and took bandages out from my pack. I wiped the blood from my hands, applied necessary medical treatments, and tied white gauze around both hands.

Out of nowhere came a carriage being pulled by a skeleton horse on fire. I barely had time to jump out of the way to avoid being plowed over.

I had been standing in the middle of a cobblestone road. It led into a dead forest, past it was a kingdom much like Mewni's except for the random fires that blazed on housetops. A castle of bones, brimstone, coal, and black fire stood on a mountain.

Even from a distance I noticed dozens of henchmen standing sentry in front of every door. In addition to them, there were gargoyles and dragons flying overhead.

"What an overkill, but then again we gotta protect Star." I squinted at the road, judging the trip and how long it would take. "I better start walking." It would be a one day journey. In a dead forest which no doubt housed monsters. How lucky of me.

I heard the sound of a rickety old wagon come up the trail. It slowed to a complete stop in front of me. A young couple sat in the front seat. The man was dressed in a white plain long sleeve shirt with brown tweed trousers. A straw hat sat on his head. His wife sat beside him, in a navy blue dress with white frills near the collar and cuffs. She had on a navy blue bonnet.

"Look, Ingrid. A young boy." The husband said.

"Should we offer him a ride, Matthew?" The wife didn't even wait for the husband to answer. She scooted over, patted the seat next to her, and smile deviously at me.

I rubbed the back of my neck, "Uh...my parents told me not to accept rides from demon strangers."

The husband threw his head back and laughed. "Your parents are right. But if you do say yes it'll cut down your walk from a day, to an hour."

They were right. I took another glance at the long road and chided myself as I climbed into their wagon. If I ended up dead it would totally all my fault. I hoped they would send my body back to Earth to be buried.

Matthew and Ingrid turned out to be pretty awesome. Not once did they try to kill me, which was slightly disappointing. They spoke of the new rulers King Tom and his father. They liked the king better than the previous one.

Under Lord Horns rule their food was rationed, their horses rounded up and under tight security, and their sons recruited into the ever growing army. King Tom restored everything they lost and cut down the army by a million boys. Now only boys over the age of eighteen could enlist. Crop fields sprang up all over the kingdom and everyone had food in their stomachs. Less people were dying.

"So, where are you headed, Marco?" Matthew asked as he drove the wagon. Every once in a while he'd have to spur the horses back on track.

"I'm headed to the castle. King Tom is an old friend of mine," I lied.

Ingrid ooh'd. "Have you met the future queen? She's the princess of Mewni. I think it's great that our kingdoms are letting everyone know of our alliance."

I shook my head, happy we were close to town. "Not yet."

They dropped me off at the nearest stop closest to the castle. "Goodbye, Marco!" They waved as they drove off.

I hitched my pack further up my shoulder and sighed. Getting into the castle would be no easy task.

Getting past the front door was easier than I expected. I was led to a small sitting room with a sky light, I could see the monsters flying above me, occasionally shooting out beams of fire. I was offered water but turned it down as soon as I knew it would be served boiling.

I turned as I heard the doorknob click. The door opened with a squeak. And there she stood, looking as gorgeous as ever.

Star looked so much like a queen, regal and poised. But she looked not at all like herself, all cheer seemed drained from her face. She looked like she was in mourning with her black armor dress. Instead of her hair being loose behind her back it was pinned up.

She gasped as she saw me, her hands flying to her cheeks. "Marco!"

She ran to me and I caught her in my arms, hugging her by her waist.

"Star." I tugged her closer to me, as if I couldn't get enough of her. She buried her face in the crook of my neck and began crying. "Hey," I gently said, "don't cry. I'm here."

She nodded, sniffling as she dried her tears up with a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry that I left like that but I had to do it. You shouldn't be here, it isn't safe." She shakily said. "If Toffee catches you and anything happens to you I'm going to hate myself."

"Hey now." I interrupted her. She rambled on, clearly flustered. "I had to come find you. You never gave me the chance to tell you how I feel."

Star blushed, I tightened my grip as she tried to escape. "You don't have to lie to me. I know how you feel."

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, really? And what do I feel, Star Butterfly?"

"You like me as a friend." She whispered dejectedly.

I tilted her chin back, gazing into her beautiful, big blue eyes that I had come to love. "Maybe this will clear things up."

I lowered my head down to hers and time stopped as our lips met. She tasted of bubblegum and sweetness. I felt her relax into me and I felt truly happy for the very first time since I met her.

A loud crash caused us both to spring apart.

"Get your hands off of my fiancée!" Tom snarled as he stormed in the room. Lifting up one hand he blasted me in the chest with a bolt of fire.

I flew back into a bookshelf, landing painfully on my side.

Star ran over to Tom, placing pleading hands on his chest, "Tom, no!" He swatted them away, his eyes glowing red with anger.

"Fiancée?" I managed to wheezed out. "What your mom said is true?"

Star hesitated, "Yes. I'm engaged to Tom. I'm sorry, Marco."

I got up with a little groan, hugging my side. "But, Star. What about us?"

She burst into tears. "An engagement made in Mewni cannot be broken. We were going to announce it tomorrow." She took off running down the hall, disappearing from view.

Tom quit glowing but still looked very angry with me. "Stay away from her! You lost her. We're getting married and there's nothing you can do about it." He turned on his heel, snapping his fingers for someone to clean up the mess and left.

I was escorted to a room and locked in. As I lay in bed I tried to come up with a way to call ruin the engagement announcement. She was mine, and I would have Star back no matter what it took.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Star

He had come for me. Marco had COME FOR ME. That was the only thought that ran through my head as I ran away sobbing. I felt so pathetic, what had happened to the Mewnian princess who could kick a monster's ass without flinching? When did I become such a watering pot?

Ten minutes later, Tom found me sitting in an abandoned corner of the ancient texts library of the castle. I stared out the window, blearily looking at the red sky. I brought my knees closer to my chest.

"Star," Tom softly said, "Your mother wouldn't be happy if you didn't go through with the agreement you two made." He placed a hand on my knee to get my attention.

I faintly noticed that the black chain-mail dress now seemed lighter and more flexible. When did that happen? "I'm going through with it," I grumbled. "I have to keep him safe. I'll send Marco away after the engagement is announced to the Mewnian and Underworld people."

Tom frowned. "I do care about you, Star. I want what's best for you."

I angrily slapped his hand off my knee and stood. "No. You want me no matter the cost. You do not care about my feelings so don't try to make it feel as if you do. I agreed to the proposal, now leave me alone." I stomped off furiously.

I reached my rooms and got the urge to destroy something. I grabbed the table on my right and flipped it over. I went on a rampage; shooting laser beams at furniture, upending drawers, tearing up the bedding with a pair of sharp throwing knives I had found in the armory.

A movement in my peripheral caught my attention. I stopped, ready to blast someone into outer space. It was just my reflection in the intricate golden weaved mirror with blood red rubies and emeralds embedded in the border. For the first time in about three weeks I finally looked closely at my reflection.

I looked sad and pitiful and that was not acceptable to me. I watched as a single tear fell and raised my wand. I pointed it at the flawless mirror and blasted it to pieces. Dust and rubble filled the air, making the light grey and dull. I sighed as the dust settled, no more reflection.

The announcement would be taking place in the Underworld, so that's where most of the people were today in case you were wondering.

The streets were decorated with black and red flowers, skeletons, bones, and ink black fire. The castle was a bit more prejudice and was decorated in gold.

Tom dressed up in a black tailored suit. I had no choice but to go in the dress I had on since I arrived. It seemed to be of magical properties because it was always clean and smelled good. I began feeling a bit regretful when I realized I didn't have a mirror anymore but pushed those feelings down. Tom had walked into the rooms in the morning and shook his head at the mess.

I had stood by the window with my fists clenched, as if daring him to say anything about the state of my room. He said nothing besides the time the event would begin and left.

I waited in the shadows of the balcony, away from where Tom and his father stood with my parents. They looked tense and rigid. I could hear the faint sound of festival music and celebration. The people gathered around the castle, standing where they could best see the balcony where it would all take place. They cheered anytime they caught a glimpse of Tom or our parents.

My mom kept glancing at me, worried. I hugged my middle tightly, the premonition of something coming weighed heavily on me. I knew today would go horribly wrong but I didn't understand why. My nerves were wound up, frayed. The taste of impending doom lingered in my mouth.

"It's time," Toms father said. He gave his son a little shove out further into the people's view.

Tom cleared his throat and opened his arms in welcome. "People of Mewni and the Underworld, today I come before you to announce very special news! Princess Star Butterfly and I have decided to marry. This will bring both of our kingdoms closer together, opening new trade deals and alliances." He lowered his arms, grinning brightly as the crowd roared with excitement. I began shivering, my teeth clacking together rapidly.

Tom turned to me, silently mouthing for me to step closer. I gulped and did so. More cheering erupted as they saw me. Tom gripped my hands in his and knelt.

"Star Butterfly, will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?" He looked up at me with big puppy eyes, pleading and extremely hopeful.

I took a deep breath, "Yes."

Tom placed an emerald ring on my finger then stood. The moment he straightened, black clouds gathered over us, lightning slammed into trees and fields.

"What?" He asked in confusion. People screamed and ran for their lives.

"Star?" My parents questioned me with accusing looks.

"Don't look at me, I agreed!" I shrugged and screamed as a lightning bolt struck near my feet. The balcony crumbled under the electricity. Tom and our parents scrambled out of the way, but I was too far away from the door. The structure beneath my feet fell away, I found myself grasping for a hold. I found purchase on a dangling piece of metal that used to be the railing.

I felt my hands grow clammy, gathering sweat. "Well, crap. I can't reach my wand," I whimpered. I shot a murderous glare at Tom, "Help me!" My hands slipped. And I yelled as I fell down.

I fumbled around my waist for my wand but remembered I had left it in my room. I was about to end up splattered in front of all of the citizens of the Underworld.

"Hang on, Star!" A voice yelled. I was plucked out of the air by a guy in a dragon motorcycle. Marco caught me in his lap.

I brushed the hair out of my face as we rode the motorcycle down safely. "Marco? Hey, Nacho! How'd you find him again?"

Marco grinned down at me, "Hekapoo came with your parents and brought him. What's up with the death storm?" He swerved to avoid a tree crashing down.

"I'm not sure. I agreed to marry Tom."

His face darkened. "Yeah, about that." We got off the motorcycle and ran inside, the guards let us in. Marco took my hand in his to help keep my balance.

We were met in the entrance by Tom and my parents. Tom gave Marco a furious look.

"What's going on?" I demanded from my mother.

Queen Moon was stumped. "I'm not sure."

"Let me explain." We all whirled around to see Ludo/Toffee behind us. His eyes glowed a sickly green. Tom and my mother moved to stand in front of me. He held his wand lazily in his pointy hands. "Star broke her engagement and now she's facing the consequences."

I huffed angrily. "No, I didn't. I agreed to marry Tom! I didn't even try to call it off."

Ludo threw his head back and laughed. "But you were already tied to someone before you got engaged to Tom."

I stared at the wall as I attempted to remember if I had been engaged before. "Who?"

"Marco Diaz." Ludo sneered. "About a year ago King Tom invited you to the Blood Moon Ball. The main dance was reserved for two souls. The beam would fall on two people who would be tied together for all eternity. You and Marco here were those two lucky souls. You're destined to be together no matter what." He pointed his wand towards us, "dead or alive."

My mother, Tom, Marco and I charged at Ludo. Tom summoned a blazing inferno and engulfed him in it.

Moon transformed into her armored clothing and unsheathed her swords. She charged at Ludo, slashing viciously.

Ludo raised his wand in defense, casting green beams that lassoed themselves around my mom and Tom.

"We have to get the wand away from him." Marco shouted as he pointed at the green half-star jeweled wand. He ran toward Ludo, probably with a death wish on his mind. Marco roundhouse kicked Ludo, causing the ugly monster to lose concentration. Both prisoners fell face first onto the ground. They groaned.

King River started moving toward his wife but was trapped in a indestructible crystal box I casted. "Stay away, dad!" I yelled as I called up a laser beam to strike Ludo.

Ludo/Toffee laughed as we fought one another. Every ounce of magic was met by pent up anger and resentment on Toffee's side. Marco was slammed out of commission and fell unconscious. The sight of him laying on the floor vulnerable angered me.

"Titanium death rods!" I yelled as I blasted out silver sharp tubes. The spell was made to hit vital organs and cut off blood circulation as they wrapped around the body. They punctured Ludo in his vital organs. The rods began twining around him but with one last blast of energy he broke through them.

He stopped his advance and coughed severely. His face paled as sweat gathered on his brow. He lifted a bony finger at me. "This isn't over, girl." He dematerialized in a cloud of green glitter.

I collapsed in an exhausted heap. I crawled over to check on my mother and Tom, I was relieved when I saw them breathing softly.

My dad pounding on his prison in a fury. I broke the spell and out tumbling he came.

"Star?" My mother weakly said.

I focused my attention on her, "Mom. I'm so sorry. I've messed everything up again."

She reached for my hand, I helped her sit up. "No, darling. Let's just be glad we're alive for now."

Tom groaned, sat up and held a hand to his head. "Star, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied as I went over to him. "I'm fine. But Toffee will be back."

He coughed, shook debris from his head, and stood. "We'll have to up the reinforcements. But in the mean time, we need to talk."

I looked away as Marco came limping over. "Yeah, we all do. Let's take care of this first." I waved my hands at the destroyed section of the castle. "We need to calm down the Underworld citizens."

He nodded in agreement. "If you decide to stay for a while, you can stay in your rooms, your parents will be assigned some. Until then...I'll just see you soon." He walked away to survey the level of severity the fight had caused.

Marco forced me to face him. "Star." He coaxed me into leaning in to him. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you're okay, too. Toffee will be back. But I just don't know when." I gripped his shirt in my hands, terrified of letting go.

Marco gave me a small smile and kissed me. "I don't want to lose you, so I'm here to help."

I pecked his cheek, "Thank you. You're amazing. Now, you don't happen to remember any of your sword fighting lessons you learn during your trials with Hekapoo, do you?"

He chest vibrated from his laughter. "Yes, I would have used them but I have no swords."

"Well, we'll get you some," I assured him. "Pony Head has a great armory that we can raid."

"She calls me Earth turd. I'm not sure how enthusiastic I am about that." He swung an arm over my shoulder.

"I need to see my friends and let them know I'm okay. I left rather suddenly." I let him lead me to my bedroom.

"I know." He kissed me hard and long. "Now get some rest. I'm going to help Tom clean up this mess." He gave me a gently push in my room.

I gasped. "That's not a good idea."

He caressed my cheek with the back of his knuckles. "I'll be fine. I'll see you when you wake up." The door shut firmly behind him.

I sank against the wooden door and laughed. How I loved that guy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Marco

I left Star at her door and walked away with a giant grin on my face.

When I had interfered at The Blood Moon Ball I had no idea I would be saving my relationship with Star. To be honest, I hadn't even known that the ball would tie us together for an eternity. I just didn't want Star to become too attached to her ex boyfriend. I acted out of jealousy that day. But I was grateful that I had arrived early enough that day to stop Star and Tom from dancing the number.

I found Tom outside his castle, speaking to several relief workers and giving instructions. Those who had magic zapped things back into order; burning fresh fires, rebuilding homes and businesses, extinguishing the blazing crops.

Tom ceased his conversation the moment he saw me. "What are you still doing here, Diaz?" He scowled deeply.

"Listen, man," I began. "I'm sorry about Star. I know you two have history between you but she's not interested in you anymore. At least not romantically. She cares about you as a friend. I know it must be hard to lose a girl like Star. You'll find your other half."

Tom lost his scowl and looked crestfallen. He gave a small humorless laugh, "I knew I shouldn't have left her alone during the main Blood Moon Ball dance. Just treat her right. Star's a special girl and I do love her." He sighed, "But I still want to help you guys. I know she's planning on going to Princess Pony Head's home to gather more weapons."

I nodded, "the more the merrier. But we have to get along for Star's sake." I dug around in my pockets and handed back the engagement ring he had placed on her finger. "Here, give it to someone you love. But not Star."

I felt a nudge against my leg. Nacho pushed once more for a pet. "You can come too, Nacho."

We set things right in the Underworld. It took a good portion of the night away, and by the time everyone was finished, they were ready for bed. I checked on Star and her family one last time before hitting the sheets myself.

As a precaution, Tom placed high level security around the entire kingdom. Everyone slept lightly, as if afraid Ludo/Toffee would return.

Sometime during the night, my mother and father arrived. They were extremely upset with me the next morning. But after they were through lecturing me, they engulfed me in a giant hug and thanked God I was okay.

I dressed and followed my nose into the breakfast room. I found Star, both sets of our parents, and Tom and his father breakfasting around a long mahogany table. I sat next to Star and talked before realizing I was starving.

"Eat up," Tom commanded from the head of the table. "We're leaving for Mewni in half hour. The Magic High Commission has issued a meeting."

I walked over to the sideboard that was piled high with food. Speaking deviled eggs, monster pudding, roaring toast, wailing waffles, and a stack of regular pancakes sat on it. Staying on the safe side, I chose the pancakes.

Unfortunately for Tom, we left two hours after. We met in the War Room of the Mewnian castle. Pony Head, Janna, Jackie, Star Fan 13, and The Magic High Commission waited inside.

Queen Moon cleared her throat, "This meeting is now called into order." We took our seats, with the queen at the head and her husband at her right hand side. The Magic High Commission sat according to their ranks with Star at their left and I sat beside her. My parents sat near the end of the table. Pony Head and the girls waited at the kids table.

With another clear to her throat, Queen Moon said, "In light of recent events, we have deemed Marco Diaz too susceptible to Toffee's magic and will be sending him back to Earth with his parents."

Star quickly retaliated with an angry "No!"

I wasn't ready for the news so I didn't clearly process it for a few seconds. "Wait, what! No." I stood angrily, my chair scraping loudly against the polished stone floor. "I stayed in the fight longer than Tom or you did!"

Hekapoo looked at me, with a bit of sympathy. "While that may be true, Marco, you are still human. The levels of magic Toffee can unleash will be catastrophic on you. You aren't as resilient as we are. We can take a blast he unleashes but it would be like a nuclear bomb on you."

I glanced at my parents but they avoided looking at me.

Queen Moon spoke again, "You are leaving for Earth today. We will be seizing your dimensional scissors and destroying them to ensure that you do not come to Mewni again until it is safe."

I laughed maniacally, "No, I spent sixteen years proving that I could earn those scissors. I want to stay with Star. I can help protect her. Give me a chance to prove that. Give me a trial or something."

They all sat pensive and silent for a moment before nodding. Queen Moon quickly conjured a force field around Star. She was trapped in a bubble and couldn't get out. "Very well. You will face off with a powerful opponent and if you beat him then you can stay." She flinched as we all heard an earth shattering boom come from within the force field. It filled with dust and we waited for it to clear. Star stood angrily inside, safe but a bit disarrayed. "You can't come out until Marco wins his match, dear."

I threw my arms in the air. "Fine, who do I have to fight?"

"Me."

I turned around to see Tom standing a yard behind me.

"Dude!" I yelled. "I thought we were cool?"

He shrugged. "I still don't like you." Then he attacked. I fell back on my butt as he kicked me square in the chest. I laid flat on my back, staring at the ceiling and wheezing. Ouch.

I was just going to give up when I remembered that if I lost, I would would be sent back to Earth. I got up, attacking him but he deflected the blows.

"Come on, Marco," Tom smiled as he backhanded me into the wall. "I thought you wanted to stay with Star."

He continued to toss me around until he stopped with a sigh. "This is pathetic. Can I suggest something?" He lifted his hand to signal a pause and turned to Queen Moon and the Magic High Commission. They nodded with pale grim faces.

"If Marco," Tom pointed to my beat up figure on the floor, "can land just one strike in my face, then he can stay."

"Very well," Queen Moon said with a slight tremble to her voice.

By the time they were done talking, I was already on my feet. I wiped blood from my mouth. Just one hit was all I needed.

I launched myself and spin kicked the back of his knees. Since I caught him off guard, he fell to the floor with a grunt. He rose with a roar, flames appeared on him.

He continued pummeling me. While I had taken punches from monster, Tom was a hundred times stronger and powerful.

I stood, trembling from exhaustion. I dug in my pockets looking for something to distract him with. Nothing besides my scissors. My scissors! I fished them out.

"Hey, Tom!" I yelled. He smirked. I threw the scissors as hard I could at his face.

He dodged the scissors and glanced in their direction. "Nice try but you didn't hi-"

The scissors had only been a distraction. As I thought, they took his eyes off me long enough for me to punch him square in the face. I had gotten in my one hit.

Toms face took on surprise and then anger. But he quit hitting me. "Well done."

The force field around Star fell and she came running over to me.

I caught her in my arms as she gently hugged me.

I pulled back and grinned. "I get to stay."

"I know," she said softly.

Very carefully, she released me, cautious about my balance.

"I can walk," I assured her. She lifted her hands from my shoulder as I took a step forward. This was going pretty well.

Then I passed out.

 _I could see Star from where I stood, beautiful and regal. Time had been extremely kind to her, she was now twenty and the next day would be her coronation._

 _She wore a dark blue off-the-shoulder floor length dress, her shoulders smooth as satin. Her long hair was half pinned up and she had traded her red horns for a gold princess crown. Her blue eyes flashed with confusion._

 _She sighed as she walked out into a flower garden, her blue shoes peeking from the hem of the skirt as she walked. She walked tall and proud. Star had always been gorgeous to me, but her body had flourished throughout the years and she was now a woman._

 _A frown appeared and she leaned onto a rusty old gate and held her chin in one hand. She was headless and unaware of the brown rust stains that appeared on her arms._

 _Her nerves about being crowned queen were nothing compared to being married. Both celebrations would take place tomorrow and it was beginning to stress her out big time._

 _"Thinking about tomorrow," someone asked as they walked up behind her. Their arms trapped her in the position she was in and she couldn't move._

 _"Yes," Star exhaled as he kissed her neck. "Couldn't we wait another month before getting married? It would help my nerves calm down a bit."_

 _"No," the guy muttered as he turned her to face him. Tom grinned down at his beautiful fiancée. "I've waited six, almost seven years. It's time." Tom had grown up to become even stronger. His body was hardened, lean, and toned with muscle. The black suit he wore only emphasized the power he possessed._

 _The scenario changed and suddenly Star is being crowned Queen of Mewni. The crowd roared with approval as their queen turned to face them. Tom stands over to the side, clapping proudly._

 _The scene changed once more and they were at a church. Star had changed out of her coronation clothing and was in a lacy white bridal dress. She walked up the aisle, heading straight for Tom who had a white chrysanthemum in his black suit. She smiled brightly at him. Her parents stood by the pews._

 _She finally reached him and the priest began the ceremony._

 _"I do," Star said in a soft voice. As tradition stated, Tom kissed his new wife and they turned around with beaming faces. Their family applauded and threw rose petals into the air._

 _They rode away in a carriage. Later that night they arrived in their room where they would spend the night. Star and Tom laughed and joked as they changed out of their formal attire and got ready for bed._

 _'Destroy them,' a voice menacingly told me._

 _I materialized out of the shadows and snuck up on them as they wrapped each other up in a hug. Sensing something, Star opened her eyes and screamed when she saw me._

 _Tom instantly placed her behind his back and unsheathed a sharp sword._

 _"Marco?" Star waveringly asked, "We thought you were dead. You died six years ago!"_

 _I laughed evilly, "you were wrong."_

 _They fought hard against me, but still weren't strong enough._

 _The voice in my head quit controlling me and I looked around in a daze._

 _I had killed my best friend._


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So I included a short scene of why Toffee is so bent on getting revenge and destroying the Butterfly family and everything else. I know it isn't the real reason. But it's my own little version of why. After all this is a fanfic. I hope you enjoy and won't hate me too much for it. Happy reading!

Chapter 6 Star

I glared at everyone in the room as I bent down to make sure Marco was still breathing. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves!" I made a stretcher appear and had Rhombulous and Tom gently put Marco on it. Tom scowled at me but did it anyway.

I heard my mom ordering for a doctor to be summoned as we wheeled him away.

She grimaced at unconscious Marco. "Star."

I turned to her, "Was that all necessary? Did you really have to put him through that? Against Tom of all people!"

The queen put her hand up, and rubbed her forehead with the other. "I wasn't expecting him to go through with it. Or even suggest it. It was very difficult to watch, and for that I am very sorry."

"Yeah, you better be. Will Dr. Minnow be the one to check on Marco?" I asked as we walked toward the guest room in which we had put him in. "I also want to talk to you about Toffee."

My mom nodded. I squinted as her diamonds became a bit flushed. "Yes, Dr. Minnow should be here any moment." Mother addressed the guards at Marcos' door and pushed her way in.

I speed walked over to him. He still looked pained but his breathing had returned to normal. The spell my mom had casted worked temporarily.

"You really care for your friend, don't you Star?" My mom murmured behind me.

"Yes. He's my best friend. My partner in crime. He's the responsible one. He keeps me in check and I love him for that." I felt his forehead and tucked the sheets closer to him. Careful of not jostling him, I sat next to him.

We both looked up as a knock came at the door. An old man who could pass for a wizard walked in. He was dressed in all white. Everything about him was white, his beard and mustache, his hair, his skin. He walked hunched over and used a tapered blackwood cane. He squinted majorly.

"Whoa, Dr. Minnow has aged." I whispered. "There's no way he can help him."

The Queen swatted my arm. "He's an excellent physician!" She hissed.

"Your Highness," Dr. Minnow bowed before my mother. "An honor to see you again." He set to work on Marco, bandaging wounds and stopping internal bleeding.

Marco slept through the whole thing. He regained his healthy color and his face lost the stressed look. At one point he sighed in relief.

Dr. Minnow brought out a bag of healing herbs. Crushing some in his palms, he tossed them in the air and began chanting in an ancient language. He placed his hands over Marco, not touching his chest but hovering over it. His palms began to glow and Marco was encased in soft golden light. The glowing subsided after a minute or so.

"There," Dr. Minnow declared, "he is healed. I suggest he get two days rest before he's up and about. One skull fracture, three broken bones, a concussion, and several lacerations were what was wrong with him. He's a very resilient guy." He packed his medical bag slowly.

My mom and I walked him out.

"Thank you." We both said. He bowed and left.

I poked my mom's side and grinned. "See, he's very resilient."

She led me into the counseling room, and gestured for me to sit down.

"What is it you want to talk about, Star?"

I placed my wand on the table. "I want to know why a monster you fought has come back. Why is he so bent on getting revenge?"

Her diamonds seemed to redden again. "Monsters do things for no reason, they're all bad."

I waved the statement away. "That's not true. Buff Frog is a good guy and he helped me rescue Marco after Toffee kidnapped him."

"You've seen what can happen when a person and monster meddle with each other. Queen Eclipsa married one and that affected her decisions." My mom said with a frown. "Dark Magic can possess you. It's highly dangerous."

I placed my hands on the table and spread my fingers out. "That doesn't explain why Toffee is so angry and why he wants to destroy us. You knew him, why does he?"

My mother turned scarlet. "Like I said before, they don't need a reason. We just have to defeat him."

I tapped my chin. "But every event starts with a reason. It can't be to take over the universe, he's not that sort of guy."

She stood and walked over to the window and opened it. "Monsters are unpredictable."

"Or maybe he's a guy who got jealous that you married my dad and wants revenge," I joked. Seriously, my mother turned the color of a lobster. From head to toe, nothing but red. "…mom?"

"Don't be ridiculous." She snapped.

The guilt on her face couldn't have been more visible. "Holy shit. Mom, did you and Toffee have a thing going on?" I ran over to her. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Answer me!"

She tugged my hands off her person. "Yes, okay! We did! It was a stupid summer fling when I was seventeen. I was young and naïve. The Butterfly family members found out and made us break it off. He didn't accept the news well. His anger took over until all he thought about was a way to get back at us. Toffee was a good guy…" She got lost in the past and her eyes softened at the memories.

"But then I met your father and all I wanted was to be with him. Toffee hated that. It became clear to me that I had to get rid of him."

My mom sat down with a huge sigh.

"Oh, mom." I pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry."

"My actions have put you and everyone I love in danger. Which is why I need you to follow the rules, Star. I know what is best for you." She looked at me with tear filled eyes.

I loved my mom and I knew that she was so strict because she loved me. But that was hard to remember. My rebellious side liked to show up at any hint of authority sometimes.

I inhaled deeply, then braced myself for a big fat NO. "Will you teach me some defense spells?"

My mom's light blue lavender eyes prickled with tears. "I guess it's time to show you, huh?" We headed for the training auditorium, a trail of guards behind us.

As we approached it, we heard grunts and groans coming from inside. Mom and I traded confused glances as she opened the doors.

My dad was in the middle of a sparing match with a troll trainer. He was trying very hard to knock the trainer off his feet but had no luck. The troll stood there, yawning and checking his wristwatch every few seconds.

"Uh, dad?" I walked up to him, tapping on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I have to advance to the next level of 'Troll Combat 101'. Preston here refuses to budge. Says it's part of the course. I…have to…knock him off his feet." He answered, breathing heavily and with pauses. He continued to pull and push and shove. Nothing.

I backed away slowly. "Okay, well mom and I are going to train too."

She led me to a quiet corner, and began to slowly walk through the drills.

"As you know, casting a spell requires concentration. It's also needs proper stance and position and the right words. You can't cast a high magnitude spell while you sit down."

I glanced over at her. She stood straight and poised. I copied her stance. I brought both hands together and held them to my chest in prayer position.

"Magic won't bring back a dead person, but if that person is on the brink of death you can try to heal them. You have to imagine your own life force extending over them. Picture your aura covering them like a blanket, from head to toe. Will your energy to flow into them." She closed her eyes. "But you must be careful, if you don't shut it off as soon as you notice that they are healed, you'll end up sapping your strength and you will be the one dead."

My arms flopped to my side. "This isn't a combat spell."

She agreed, "It isn't, but it's a spell that comes in handy. It's difficult to control but I'm positive you can handle it."

I glowed under her confidence in me. "Thanks, mom."

"Rainbow Crossbow is a powerful spell," she stated. "Go ahead, speak it."

"Rainbow Crossbow!" My wand turned into a crossbow. Despite the name, it wasn't different colors but plain black. The quiver of arrows on the other hand were an assortment of colors.

"Red summons fires hotter than the ones in the Underworld. Blue causes immobility and paralyzation. Black explodes into a black hole and sucks in only the object it impaled. Green grows into an unbreakable vine a foot thick. Yellow blinds one permanently. Orange brings irreversible memory loss and forces your priorities onto them." She said as she ticked off on her fingers. "You only get two arrows of each kind."

I picked it up, eyeing it and weighing it on my arms. "Super cool."

Her tone of voice turned warning, "It's not a toy, Star."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I made the crossbow disappear. "Next?"

Moon took a few steps back, "Your wand is an extension of your body. It can transform into any weapon you desire."

I stared at my wand in concentration, willing it to turn into something cool. "Dragon Bone Sword," I muttered as the words came to mind. My wand extended into a black three foot long double sided blade with a purple and black hilt. Long glittery tassels sprouted from the top. "What is this?"

"A dragon bone sword." She took it from me. "Indestructible and capable of injuring anyone. There are only eight in the universe."

"How do they make them?" I held my hands out for the sword.

"The blade is made out of human bones. After the blade is constructed, they dip it in dragon blood to seal in its strength."

I dropped the sword. "What! Eww, I don't want that!"

"That's your wand and it's one of the most powerful weapons on earth."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. I draped it over the sword and willed it back into my wand. "Gross."

For the next two days my mother and I trained and strengthened my magic. I checked up on Marco and found him recovering well.

On the second day, he woke while I was combat fighting.

I swung at Rupert, the self defense trainer. He ducked and sought out my weak spot.

I grunted as he gently hit my ribs.

"Keep your guard up, my princess." He gravely stated.

I nodded. I feigned a right punch and hit him with my left. His neck snapped back and I slammed my fist into his lower right ribs. He bent over, and I kneed him in the nose. He fell to his knees and I aimed my wand at him.

He smiled despite the blood dripping down his nose. "Well done, princess. If I were your enemy, the moment I fell to my knees would have been the moment you blasted me into oblivion."

I helped him up. "Thank you, Rupert. See you tomorrow." He went off to tend his injured nose.

I wiped the sweat of my brow and yanked off my leather fingerless gloves. I changed out of my fighting attire and put my black chain-mail dress on. I proceeded to chug down as much water as I could.

Tom entered the gymnasium. He stopped in front of me with a smile. "Marco is awake and up and about. Thought you might want to know."

"He's up and moving?" I loudly asked as he followed behind me. "What in the world is wrong with him?"

We moved quickly down the hall, and I finally found Marco staring out a huge glass wall that looked over a corn field.

"Marco Diaz!" I angrily stomped over to him. He turned around with a contemplative stare. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh. Hey, Star. I've been stuck in bed for the past few days," he answered as he leaned back against the glass. "I need to move."

He didn't seem to want to meet my eye but I wrote it off as humiliation for having passed out for two days. "Well, move back toward it." I took his arm.

Marco jumped back as if I had burnt him. A panicked look stole across his eyes. "I can walk myself."

Tom frowned.

"Okay…" I drawled out.

Marco stopped in the doorway of his room. "We have to talk about a dream I had."

"Later, go take a nap first," I ordered.

By the time Marco was tucked in, Tom had left and Marco was too tired to talk.

I slowly shut the door behind me and went to go practice my spell casting.

I spent half an hour casting spells before my mom called my name in a shrill voice.

"Star!"

My crystal cupcakes came out mushy. I ran toward her voice. I finally found her in the greeting hall, staring out the door.

"Mom, what is it?"

She pointed. "You have some visitors."

A sea of monsters stood outside, many with poster boards or paint on their faces. The guards created a barrier between them and the castle, preventing them from entering.

"The alternative monsters!" I squealed excitedly. I could hear my mom yelling for me to wait as I ran outside to meet them. "What are you guys doing here?"

The one I shot with the strawberry spell ran up to me wearing a shirt with my face on it. "Rebel princess! We've come to offer assistance!"

A big grin spread across my face, "But you guys don't fight!"

He shrugged, "True, but we can learn! And we want to stay close to the Starco ship."

"The what?"

"You and Marco. Starco. You guys are our OTP; one true pairing."

I shook my head, "I'm not even gonna ask."

"So, let's get started!" The monsters roared in agreement.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Marco

' _Destroy them_ '

I was shaken up over the dream that I had had while unconscious. I had woken up drenched in sweat and nervous as hell. What had it meant?

"It was just a dream…just a dream." I whispered to myself. "You would never hurt Star. She's your best friend and you like her."

But when Star had reached for my arm, I found myself imagining the dream over again and I had pulled away. She had left me in my room, assuming I was going back to sleep. But I laid there, trying to reassure myself that I wasn't a danger to Star. It was just my subconscious playing with me.

Obviously because I was afraid of Star dying I had dreamt that. The mind plays games with you at the worst moments.

I would just focus on training and being with Star. That's what I would do until we could go back to Earth.

A fairy flew in, straightening up the room.

"Hey!"

She turned to me. "Yes?"

I pushed up on my elbows, "Where is Princess Star Butterfly?"

"She's outside with the army of monsters that appeared," she answered.

I flew out of bed, "What the hell! She's in danger!" I flung the covers off my legs, shoved my feet into my Converse, and shot out the door.

All I could think about was Star being attacked and killed by a hoard of monsters. No, I would rip those monsters apart with my own bare hands and feed them to the warnicorns if they dared touch her.

Speeding past the housekeepers, staff, and servants, I caused them to either move aside or be mowed over. I ran past an elf carrying a stack of fresh linens, she dropped half of them and sighed. "Sorry!" I cried out.

Bursting through the throne room and right outside, I bent over to placed my hands on my knees and wheezed. No wonder Tom had beaten me so easily. I was out of shape, and I studied karate!

"Marco?" Queen Moon asked as I fell over. She helped me up.

"The elf girl said that Star was being attacked by monsters!"

She chuckled. "Star is fine. Apparently there are 'Alternative' monsters and they wish to assist us."

I raised an eyebrow, "Assist us in what?"

"In fighting Toffee. Mewni has over a thousand troops as of the moment and we need more."

"Oh." I watched as Star walked around through the crowd of monsters, saying hi and squealing. She moved so confidently throughout them and I knew she would make a great queen in the future.

They held up signs with Star's face, others with pictures of clothing with huge rips in the cloth, and dozens had the word STARCO painted brightly across it.

"What is Starco?" I murmured as I went over to her.

"Hey!" A hippo in battle armor cried out. "It's Marco! The princess's boyfriend!"

I blushed a hundred shades of red as they crowded around me. Star shyly grinned as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was gently shoved over to me. She tripped over someone's shoe, I reached out to catch her.

She fell against my chest and peered up at me. I knew then I wouldn't ever hurt her.

"KISS. KISS. KISS." The crowd chanted.

Her blue eyes widened then slowly closed as I tilted her head up. They went wild as our lips touched, but all I was focused on was Star as her lips moved gently beneath mine.

"Wow," I said as the kiss ended. Star blushed deeply again.

"So," Star breathlessly said, "they want us to train them."

I smiled at the crowd. "Great idea!"

A wall of flames burned beside me spontaneously. Tom and Hekapoo stepped out of it with worried faces.

"Tom?" Star stepped over to him. "What's wrong?"

He frowned as a flaming piece of paper appeared in his hand. He extinguished the flames and handed the paper to her. "Toffee's planning an attack in eight days. But he's giving us a chance to surrender first."

Star skimmed the note, making little distressed noises as she read. "Oh, this is sooo bad."

I pried the paper from her fingers. "Let me see that."

 _In eight days hence, I shall launch 22,000 thousand troops to attack the Mewnian Castle and village around it. The attack will be dispatched in three waves. Anyone found will be exterminated or enslaved. Those who would like to surrender will be given the chance at midnight the day this letter is received. They will be recruited into the army. If the Butterfly family surrenders, no one will be killed. All power will be transferred to Toffee and he will become the king of Mewni and the present queen will given to him as compensation for all the trouble he went through. The present king will be beheaded and Princess Star Butterfly will be wedded to the Troll Agamemnon_.

Queen Moon plucked the letter from my hands and read. She shook with anger and disgust. Her hands flew in a mini rage as she tore apart the paper. "That conniving, manipulative son of a-"

Star and Tom flanked the queen on both sides.

Star turned green, "I'm not marrying no troll. It's okay, mom. We don't expect you to just surrender. We understand. The people love you and would never make you go through that."

Hekapoo scowled. "No queen of Mewni would ever surrender and allow themselves to be captured. It's official, we are going to war."

She tore a portal open and jumped through to inform the Magic High Commission.

Queen Moon left to rest, Tom escorted her away.

The monsters crowded around Star more protectively. "No one is marrying Star by force!"

"Yeah! Starco for life!"

I frowned as I pulled Star closer to me, "What is Starco?"

Star wrapped her arms around me. "Apparently it's our ship name. We're their OTP."

"Their what?"

"OTP; one true pairing."

"Weird."

I faced the monsters, appreciating what their help meant. They were willing to sacrifice their lives and beliefs to help Star. They didn't like violence but wanted to fight against Toffee. We would have to train hard to be strong enough.

"For the hundredth time!" I yelled at a hippie sloth in white leather skinny jeans with a red concert tee, "I don't want to rip holes in my hoodie!" He shrugged and slowly walked away, only to come back and ask me again.

Star giggle and returned her attention to the elephant with pierced ears. "Okay, you know what? Instead of thinking of it like fighting, why don't you just throw the spear and pretend you're making a cool rip right where their heart is suppose to be?"

The elephant nodded. He weighted the spear and eyed his target. A poorly-made straw dummy was mounted on a pole thirty feet in front of him. Star skipped over and painted a bright red X over the heart.

"Okay, Chad. You can throw it now."

Chad narrowed his gaze and threw the spear as hard and fast as he could. It missed but landed in the stomach section.

"Good shot. That would have pierced the stomach and called for a slow and painful death."

Chad grimaced.

Star retrieved the spear and handed it back. "Okay, try again."

Tom stood in the background, training the fire users.

"Channel your anger, all that built in frustration. It's okay to be angry at your mom for not letting you have that sleepover with your friend." Tom instructed.

A buff lizard flexed his muscles, "My mom wouldn't give me change to buy a hotdog!" His hands caught fire and he launched fireballs into the air.

Tom grinned as he folded his arms. "Yes, release all your anger."

A squirrel chick wielded her ability and produced a bow and arrow made entirely of flames. "Here's for not returning my call, grandma!" She let the arrow fly into a tree. It exploded with a loud bang. The arrow replenished itself.

Tom nodded like a proud instructor.

I passed out wooden training swords to a group and led them to the dummies.

"Okay, the first thing about swords is finding the correct one. It can't be too heavy or it'll fall out of your hands but it can't be too light or it'll be useless. You have to find a good balance."

I slashed at a dummy, "if your sword is of the right length you can play both offense and defense. A good swordsman can do both." The group paired off.

They practiced defending their stance and parrying the others strikes.

"Arch up a bit." I said to a young monster. I went around giving advice. "Force them back. Keep your guard up. Don't shove your sword up his nose, these are for practice."

Tom, Star, and I met up at lunch time. Everyone took a break, enjoying the sunshine and good food the castle staff passed around.

"So," Star began, she bit into a sandwich, "what do you guys think of our recruits?"

Tom took a swig of water, "we might have a chance, given if we find more people to fight."

I nodded over a mouthful of chips. "We need to find more people. Has your dad asked his family to help?"

Star nodded. "They wouldn't miss it for the world. My mom's side is coming too. I just hope they face off with Toffee's forces and not each other."

A war horn sounded in the distance and everyone's faces paled significantly. Over the horizon came thousands of soldiers on horse back, armed with swords or bows and arrows.

We ran to gather arms and I saw Queen Moon and King River run out of the castle with distraught looks.

"Toffee tricked us," Star cried hysterically.

The army stopped where ours began. But it wasn't Toffee or his monsters. On top a pure black stallion sat a fit, elderly man with platinum looks and a heavy golden crown. By his side was a young man who was obviously his son.

"Greetings, Mewnians. I am King Silverstone and this is my son Prince Justin," the man spoke, gesturing beside him. His son bowed slightly in his seat then straightened.

King River and Queen Moon stepped forward.

"Welcome, King Silverstone. What brings you to Mewni?" Moon asked, her skin regaining her natural color and she didn't resemble a ghost anymore.

The foreign king dismounted. "I heard that you needed help against the evil Toffee and we've come to help in any way we can."

Star squealed and gripped my arm along with Tom's.

"Finally! Thank you so much for coming, King Silverstone!" She shouted as she moved forward.

"Princess Star, you're even more beautiful than what they described." The king boasted.

I frowned and Star beamed.

Queen Moon herded us inside and into a parlor room. The pale blue room was quickly overcrowded with extra seats and people. Tom and I stood behind Star. Prince Justin stared openly at her.

I gripped my hands and scowled. I felt a faint hand on my arm and saw that Tom was vaguely shaking his head.

"Caldor is a kingdom in the Nebula realm. We've been around for thousands of years. Lately, our resources have been dwindling down little by little."

King River spoke up, "So you want to help us in exchange for goods and currency."

Silverstone nodded. "Yes. And we also want to propose a way to bring our kingdoms together."

I stepped forward, fists ready to hit someone in the face is he said what I thought he was going to say.

"We want to suggest a marriage of alliance. Between Justin's son and your daughter's daughter."

"What?" Moon looked extremely confused. "Star doesn't have children. She isn't even married."

King Silverstone and Prince Justin glanced in my direction. "She isn't married yet. News travels fast. Every kingdom has heard of how the Blood Moon Ball tied together your daughter with the Earth boy, Marco Diaz. They're destined to marry and have children. Justin here recently married his childhood sweetheart, Marigold. They are expecting a son in seven months."

Star congratulated the prince. "But who knows when I'll have a daughter. I still have six years until I'm crowned queen and married."

"But you need our help," Silverstone pointed out. "It would be wise to accept the proposal."

Star and I looked toward her parents for help. They both nodded.

"Very well. In exchange for goods and resources and also a marriage, you hereby declare that you will help Mewni when Toffee attacks."

The king and prince agreed. They were showed to a series of guest rooms.

I went over to Star, "I have to admit, I got worried for a moment."

"Me too. But I don't know how comfortable I feel marrying off a daughter I don't have yet."

I nervously laughed and rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah. Us being married and having children." I gulped.

She giggled and kissed my cheek. "Don't freak out."

"I'm not freaking out!" I squeaked.

"Yes, you are." She took my hand pulled me away. "Come, let's have a picnic!" With a flash of her wand, we were gone.

Thud!

"What?" I groggily exclaimed as I woke up. I could see the moon shining down brightly into my room.

Thunk!

I fell out of bed and felt around for my slippers. After a minute of searching I gave up and slipped on my ballerina shoes. I crept down the hallway, letting my sense of hearing lead me.

I heard grunts coming from downstairs.

"No, stop. I'm here to tell Star about monster army!" A familiar voice said.

I raced downstairs to find Tom and Prince Justin standing over Buff Frog. He was tied to a chair as Justin held a sword over his head.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I yelled as I yanked the sword away from him. "This is Buff Frog, he's a good guy."

We heard a gasp behind us. Star stood in her nightgown, looking very angry.

"What is going on? It's the middle of the night. Buff Frog?"

"Hello, Rebel Princess. Karate Boy stopped my beheading."

Her eyes widened in disbelief, she turned to both guys. "You were going to kill him?" Her wand glowed green.

"Whoa, Star." I said with a calm hand to her shoulder.

Justin shrugged, "he was lurking in the hallways."

"What are you doing in the hallway, Prince Justin?" Star angrily snapped.

"I heard noises."

Tom grinned. "Let's just all go back to sleep. Buff Frog, I sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding."

"All forgiven, demon man." Buff Frog said.

Justin and Tom disappeared and we turned to Buff Frog.

"Toffee will attack in six days," he whispered.

Star smiled sadly. "Yes, we know. How are the babies?"

"They are good. I build underground bunker for them. They are safe. Can you untie me now?" He struggled out of his bondages.

We cut the cords and he stretched his webbed hands above his head.

"Why are you wearing ballerina shoes, Karate Boy?"

Star laughed as I answered, "I couldn't find my slippers!"

"So Buff Frog," she began, "will you fight with us?"

"I don't know, princess. I have duty as father to my children. If I die, who will care for them?"

"True," I added. "We don't expect you to fight."

He sighed sadly. "I will try to help. But I have kids to think about."

He left shortly after that, walking away with heavy steps. Deep down I hoped he would stay with his kids to protect them.

"Psst! Marco!"

King River reached out from behind a potted plant and pulled me down to him.

"Ugh, why are we behind a plant?"

His blonde mustache quivered with excitement. "Star's birthday is coming up. Unfortunately it's on the same day as Toffee's attack."

I blinked and remembered he was right. "Crap, I totally forgot."

He stared at me in wonder. "You forgot your own girlfriends birthday? That's a serious offense."

I waved my hands around. "We've been busy!" What do you get a girl who can do magic for her birthday? A Quest Buy gift card? Hell no.

"We are planning a birthday dinner later this afternoon. The king and prince of Caldor are attending. Your parents and friends and Tom will be too. Obviously you will be there." He staged whispered.

"Okay. I have a little time to figure out what to get her." I stood and dusted off my jeans.

"Jewelry would be your safest bet. Especially one particular item," he hinted, wiggling his left ring finger.

A wave of heat flooded my face. He wanted me to propose to Star.

"You would be fine with it? I mean, we're only fourteen. Not that I don't want to," I stammered.

King River chuckled, "You're part of the family, Marco. I knew you and Star would be together since the first moment I saw you."

He gave me the name of a good black smith and left to prepare the feast. I made the short trip to the village in search of a good engagement ring.

Mr. Darcy had trays of metal, silver, and gold rings. Some held regular gems, others precious stones.

I was still ruffling through rings thirty minutes later. Then I spotted a delicate silver ring with a blue transparent diamond. Millions of hearts the size of glitter specks were encased inside. They were in every imaginable color. I knew Star would love it.

I paid for the ring and left, practicing my speech on the way back to the castle. I was excited to propose.

Dinner was almost ready when I entered the castle. Tom appeared out of nowhere and stopped me in my tracks.

"You're going to do it, aren't you?"

I skidded to a halt. "Yes."

He nodded, resigned with the idea. "I knew it was coming. Do you have a speech ready?"

I went over it with him and he pointed out some improvements.

At last dinner was ready and I was recruited to fetch Star. She spent the day improving her spells and fighting abilities.

I found her in her room, laying down.

"Hey," she said.

I sat down beside her. "Dinner is ready."

She shook her head, "I'm not hungry."

I panicked. I had to get her downstairs for her birthday dinner. "I made nachos!"

She smiled. "Fine. Let's go."

I fiddled with the ring box tucked in my pocket as we walked into the dining room. She gasped as she noticed the silver and blue and pink balloons tied to the chairs. "What is all of this?"

I joined the rest of the group and we all sang 'Happy Birthday'. Tears welled in her eyes and she started crying.

"No, no, no." I ran over to her, "you're supposed to be happy!"

She covered her mouth with her hands. "I am! But I'll probably be dead when I turn fifteen and I'm too young to die!"

Queen Moon walked over to her daughter. "You're not going to die. I won't let you."

After a few more minutes of crying, we finally got her to calm down. Plates and platters of food was passed out and everyone enjoyed the food. I saw my mom and dad smiling at one another and holding hands.

I stood, gripped my water glass and lightly chimed it with my fork. I turned to Star. "Star, you're hands down my best friend. I love you so much I wake up everyday just to see your face. You've taught me that you can't always be safe. You balance me. Fighting monsters, going to Quest Buy and almost dying are the highlights of my life. I know that we belonged together and that may be why I snuck into the Blood Moon Ball. I love you." My hands started to sweat from the nerves. I pulled the black little velvet box from my pocket and knelt in front of her. "Will you marry me?"

She answered by launching herself at me and tackling me to the floor. "Yes!" She kissed me everywhere on my face. We stood and I placed the ring on her finger. The tiny hearts sparkled in the light.

Applause was heard as I kissed her. I knew we would have to wait until our twenty-first birthday to get married but it didn't matter. As long as I had her by my side, I was happy.

We were congratulated by the group, everyone was genuinely happy about the engagement. I sighed in relief as Jackie grinned and gave me a thumbs up.

Tom grinned happily too. Prince Justin nodded in our direction, probably still afraid of Star. It was a perfect end to the day.

The next six days flew by quickly. On the day of the attack, a new letter was sent, asking if we would be surrendering.

We dressed in our battle armor and gathered ranks. Star rode on Cloudy, but instead of being his usual pink self, he was thunderous black.

"Can you control him?" I nervously asked as he threw a lightning bolt.

Star tugged her hair back. She fastened it with a blood red barrette. She was dressed in black armor, a spare sword strapped to her hip. "Of course, don't worry." She lined her eyes with black eyeliner. Placing her princess crown on her head, she nodded in approval. Her black leather combat boots shone brightly. Instead of wearing a dress, she wore a red tank top and black skinny jeans. Her clothing was drenched in magic, the hits would bounce off her, even where skin was exposed.

I wore a black vest over a white T-shirt, and black jeans and boots. Like Star, I had a sword on me. She strengthened it with a spell and kissed my cheek for good luck. Nachos the motorcycle dragon was ready to go on a ride. "We've got this, Nachos."

Tom sat on his flaming dead skeleton horse. His hands caught fire as he muttered to himself nervously. He held a wicked looking lance in his fingerless gloved hand.

The rest of the army stood by skittishly. We numbered at fifteen thousand. I prayed it would be enough.

This time, when the war horn sounded, it wasn't a drill. It was the real deal.

Star flew around standing up on her cloud, zapping monsters into insignificant bugs. I drove Nachos as I slashed down monsters. It had been a while but I still knew how to use a sword.

The Alternative Monsters held their own, though they seemed bent on ripping holes into their enemies clothes before moving on.

I saw a Minotaur heading for Queen Moon and I ran to cover her. The Minotaur roared in frustration as I blocked his horns. Drawing my sword back, I swung and lobbed off its head.

Moon continued obliterating her enemies without a second thought. Justin fought fiercely with a Komodo dragon dude. Their swords clanged as metal met metal. They both strained to hold their ground.

"Rainbow Crossbow!" I heard Star yell. Her wand transformed itself into a plain black crossbow. She reached into her quiver and pulled out an orange arrow. She aimed it at the biggest monster around. It impaled itself in his chest. The monster froze in its tracks and seemed to wait for Star to speak. "Take out all enemies of the Mewnian forces!"

It went around flattening anyone not on our side. Some of the enemy ran around in terror to avoid being smushed.

"Where are you, Toffee?!" Star snarled as she swatted aside a three foot fly. The enemy began retreating and that was the end of the first wave. We lost only a handful of troops while Toffee lost two hundred.

We drank water quickly, afraid of being caught off guard.

"We're holding up okay," Prince Justin announced after taking a swig of water.

Moon breathed in rapidly, "I saw no sign of Toffee."

"Neither did I." Her daughter replied.

We stood up as the second wave of enemies washed over us with a blast of the war horn. This time, I lost track of Star.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: please don't hate me. I love you guys and I promise this is all part of the plan! Give it a chance. You'll see!_

Chapter 8 Star

The second wave of enemies came. Creatures from hell crawled out of the ground. The sky darkened with winged demons.

I flew around on Cloudy, standing up and zapping monsters with my wand.

"Total Nuclear Butterfly Blast!" I yelled, pointing my wand at the Minotaur. The rainbow blast shot him backwards.

He landed heavily and groaned. I jumped from my cloud and onto the ground. "Ow," he grumbled. "Take it easy, man. I'm not even supposed to be in this story. Percy Jackson was busy this weekend."

"Percy who?" I asked as I shot a narwhal at a three headed lizard. The Minotaur swung his ax at my head and I ducked. "Trying to kill people isn't nice!" I blasted him in the eye with a crystal cupcake and jumped back on Cloudy. How rude.

I noticed Prince Justin going head to head with the nasty Troll Agamemnon. Slime oozed from the ugly troll's eyes and ears and pores, pooling around his feet. Justin's dragon bone sword slashed at Agamemnon's flesh. The ugly troll roared in frustration. Just thinking about how I could possibly have to marry him made me want to get sick everywhere. The troll king was a mucus green color, severely overweight, and had deadly bad breath.

"Ahh!" I gasped as Cloudy dissolved from under my feet. I plummeted down, the ground growing closer and closer. I landed painfully on my back, right into a grove of enemy monsters.

They stared at me in astonishment, as if they couldn't believe I was right there.

I laid there, gasping for air. They finally snapped out of their stupor and raised their weapons. I quickly rolled out of the way as an ax made its journey down toward my head. I swung my legs around, knocking them off their feet. I grasped my side as I stood, wobbly and panting.

"Dragon Bone Sword," I wheezed weakly. It morphed and I took out a two-headed wolverine. It's hissed and spat as it died.

I spared with an angry, buff demon. He shot beams of fire out of his palms but missed. His eyes began glowing with pure white light. His Stygian sword crackled with lightning. As metal met metal, I could feel the vibrations of our exertion humming through. Sparks flew and metallic pangs sounded loudly in the air.

My fingertips began turning black, cold seeped into them every time the metals connected. I could see the color, the soft whiteness, of the Dragon Bone sword become grey. The double sided edges were crumbling and I realized his weapon was more powerful than mine. He feigned right and slashed my forearm. A wisp of smoke drifted from my skin and it felt lighter. He connected with my thigh, cutting through the protective outer layer. Another wisp of smoke and I felt a soft coolness run up my leg.

"What is this?" I snarled as I defended myself.

"The blade is drawing your energy. It's draining your soul," the demon cackled as I ducked away from his weapon.

"Back off, you son of a bitch!" A voice growled. A familiar looking body jumped in front of me, Tom. His hands began glowing as they sucked the life from the demon. The demon struggled and tried to run away but the vortex of Tom's power was too strong. Soon, all that was left was the Stygian sword. As Tom bent down to retrieve it, it crumbled to dust.

He scowled in disgust, "I thought I got rid of all of those damn things." He blasted more of the enemy and then turned back to me. "Marco is looking for you."

I placed my hands on my knees and took deep breaths. The wounds from the blade were slowly closing up. "I lost him in the second wave. How is everyone holding up?"

He took hold of my arm as I listed forward, catching me. "You, not so well. You need some rest. Stygian iron withdraws your soul from your body. You should be fine in an hour, your cuts weren't major."

I protested, "Hell no. I'm fine, it was two tiny cuts." I pulled away from him but he tightened his grip as he pulled me safely between the ranks of our army.

"You look like hell," Tom snorted. "Your face looks paler than flour. You need rest and something to drink. We can hold everything together for an hour."

Not as many troops were injured. The makeshift infirmary wasn't overflowing with people so that had me feeling better. Tom led me to a bed in a secluded corner and gently forced me to lay down.

He snapped his fingers and an IV filled with transparent pink liquid attached itself to the crook of my arm. I felt the sugar enter my body less than a millisecond later. The cuts healed completely but left behind thin scars, whiter than the rest of my skin. My energy slowly replenished.

"What is this?" I asked, gesturing toward the IV bag.

He tapped the line, the drip had stopped and it resumed from his action. "Energy. And a dash of unnatural super strength."

I flexed my hand, "so I'll be super strong? Cool. How long will that last?"

He laughed as he noticed my intentions. "The strength is to keep your souls from draining out of your body. Though the cuts are healed, your energy and soul are on the brink of leaving you and need some heavy duty reinforcing. One tiny little bump could kill you. The fluid is keeping them anchored inside of your body until you're well enough to fight."

"Well that's not fun. I wanted to see the look on Marco's face as I lifted a giant in the air," I pouted.

Tom ruffled my hair, "Some other time, Starship. I gotta get back to fighting. No leaving the infirmary for another forty-five minutes." He disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

Time passed so damned slow. The moment the forty-five minutes were up was the moment I sprang out of bed and yanked the needle from my arm. Tom wasn't lying, I had needed the rest and I felt as if I had had a full night's sleep.

I grabbed my wand and went out to fight. As I reached the doorway, an arm shot out and wrapped itself around my waist.

"Ahh!" I yelled.

Marco's face showed up, smiling wearily. "Hey, I've been looking for you." He kissed me hungrily.

I held up my arm, "I got cut with a Stygian iron sword and almost got my soul sucked out."

He paled. "Are you okay?" He touched the white scar with his thumb.

I placed my hand on his cheek, "I'm okay. How are you?"

He looked ragged and several places on his used to be clean white shirt were dirty and covered in patches of blood. The tips of his brown hair were charred and brittle.

"I'm fine. Just tired. The second wave is retreating," he answered as he pulled me into a patch of shade.

The sun was beginning to set and the air was growing a slight chill, a consequence of it being the end of spring but not yet summer. Nurses handed out drinks with electrolytes and light food.

As Marco sat down, he winced in pain. He grabbed his side and groaned. "Shit." He sat down hard.

I reached for his shirt and pulled it up. A wound five inches long and rib deep ran across his side. It bled profusely. "Marco!"

He swatted me away, "I'm okay. I'm okay."

Ignoring his assurances, I placed a palm over the wound and focused. I imagined healing magic spreading to my fingertips in soft gold light. I willed the cut to close and the blood he had lost to replenish. I could feel his body telling me of the severity. The blade that had broken his skin had been poisoned with Moonlock. Another thirty minutes and he would have died.

The natural rosiness of his face returned and he sighed in relief.

"You idiot!" I scolded as I slapped his arm. "You could have died!"

Marco scowled as he rubbed his arm. "But I didn't. Besides, you almost lost your soul! What were you doing fighting a monster who could do that?"

I stood up angrily, "Trying to end this stupid war!"

"By dying?"

"I wasn't trying to die!"

He flicked my forehead with his pointer finger, "You almost did! Tom told me how close you were."

I placed my hand over my forehead and glared at him. "You were closer! Thirty more minutes and you would have kicked the dust!"

He bitterly laughed, "You're so dramatic."

"You know, sometimes I really hate you," I said without thinking. I gasped the moment the words left my lips.

Marco backed away with pain in his eyes. He looked away, "If that's how you feel then we won't get married."

I blinked tears away, "fine! Why would I want a husband who tries to die!"

Tom stepped in between us with hands held up. "Whoa, guys. Calm down. You're causing a scene."

Marco snorted as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets. "Whatever, I'll see you guys later." He vanished in a swarm of people.

I balled my hands into fists, suppressing the urge to stomp my feet. "What a meanie!" Okay, that wasn't the word I said in my head but a princess had more decorum than that.

Tom forced me to sit back down. "He'll come around. What were you arguing about?"

"He almost got himself killed!" I softly yelled and I waved my hand in his direction. "Then he tried to distract me with 'you almost died too'!"

Tom plucked grass out of the ground and leaned his arms on his knees. "Well, you almost did."

"Shut it, Tom." I hissed. I folded my arms and dropped my head on them. "I can't believe I said I hated him. I have to apologize."

Tom shook his head no. "Not yet. Let him calm down first."

I took in a shaky breath, "I'm an idiot."

"Sometimes," Tom joked. "Rest, the third wave is bound to be the hardest. I'll talk to Marco for you."

I swiped the few tears that had escaped from my eyes. "Thanks. I'm gonna go nap. Wake me up if you see anything fishy."

He patted my back and watched me leave. And even though I had just been in a bed for an hour, I laid down again.

 _I paced the halls of the castle, both hands on my hips. As I waited for the doctor to inform me about my mothers health, my husband walked up behind me. He wrapped his arms around my front and placed his chin on my head._

 _"Stay calm, Starship." Tom said. He sighed in my ear. "You getting all upset will hurt the baby." He placed both hands on my round belly._

 _"My mom is sick, Tom." I angrily snapped. But I leaned back into him, glad that for a moment he could helped bear the weight. Everything hurt, my back, my legs. I couldn't even see my toes anymore. To think, another four weeks of this._

 _The door to my mother's room opened and I hurried over to the doctor._

 _"How's my mother?" I asked Dr. Minnow._

 _He shook his head sadly, "She's very ill. I would prepare myself for the worst. It appears you might be queen soon."_

 _"No," I cried out, covering my face with my hands._

 _Tom encased me in a hug, turning to give the doctor the Evil eye. "Thank you, Dr. Minnow. That's all for now."_

 _Dr. Minnow scurried away._

 _I gripped the front of Tom's suit. "My mom can't die. I'm only twenty! I'm not ready to be queen!" I peered up at him as tears streamed down my face._

 _He laughed softly, brushing blonde hair away from my face. "You also weren't ready to be a wife but you're doing great."_

 _I smacked his chest, "this is no time for jokes! Too many people have died these past six years." My voice broke as I sobbed, "Marco, my dad, Pony head. I can't lose my mom."_

 _"I know, Starship." He muttered in my ear. He led me to our bedroom. "You need to rest. No good will come to Mewni if their queen and princess both die."_

 _"Not funny," I grumbled as I reclined back. He stretched out beside me, lacing his hands together behind his neck and crossed his ankles._

 _"I love you, Star." He said. He leaned down to kiss me._

 _I accepted his kiss, "I love you, Tom."_

I woke up with a jerk. "What the fuck," I muttered. What a weird dream.

A loud explosion was heard from outside. The entire castle trembled.

I stumbled outside, blinking the sleep away.

From three miles away, the enemy forces were using catapults fifty feet tall to launch burning sewage.

They lit another round on fire and shot it. This one hit closer to home and sent us scattering and ducking.

Lava humanoids walked toward us slowly, roaring as they touched houses and buildings, bringing them to a burn. Fire sprang up where their footsteps were.

The civilians of Mewni had been forced to evacuate but those who hadn't were now running around in a panic. Their screams drifted to me and I flinched as a man was flattened by a herd of wild warnicorns.

I ran out of the safe shadows of the castle and threw myself into the fight. I transformed my wand into my crossbow and shot a red arrow in a group of rabid wolverines with battle axes. They caught fire and immediately burned to a crisp.

"Help me!" A young woman hysterically said, coming out of nowhere and gripped my arm. She gestured to a home covered in flames. "My baby is in there!" She fainted in my arms.

"Damn it!" I growled as I dragged the young woman to safety. I gave her to a crying nurse. The house had only about three minutes before it crumbled. I prayed the baby wasn't dead from the smoke and dived through a window, rolling to lessen the impact.

I came up on one knee and coughed as soot filled my nose and mouth. The little cottage had no rooms; the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and dining room were one big thing. I dived out of the way as a flaming beam fell down in front of me. I summoned a force field around me and took deep, cleansing breaths of the fresh air in it.

The angry yelling of the fire made it almost impossible to listen for the baby. I made my way quickly but carefully around the house. Then I spotted a crib with white netting around it.

"YES!" I ran for it, removed the netting, and brought the sleeping baby to my chest. I brushed my blonde hair away from my face and mouth. More of the house fell.

Debris hit the force but none came in. It was weakened though, from the flames and heat and pieces of wood that constantly hit it. I stumbled, realizing I needed more air. The smoke was making it toxic and I wouldn't last long.

I jumped out of the house one last time and fell out the door. I greedily sucked down air as a couple of our recruits took the baby from my arms.

The hysterical mother snatched up her baby and sobbed. "Thank you, princess!"

"Of course," I croaked. I stood up and accepted the water bottle someone was handing to me.

"She's not breathing!"

I turned back to the woman who was staring down at her baby in horror.

"My baby isn't breathing!" She screamed.

"Shit," I mumbled. I took the baby from her and used my newly found healing skills to read the baby. "I don't have much time!" I only had a few minutes before she died of smoke inhalation. I sprinted to the infirmary. Everyone following behind me. I lay the baby down on a clean bed and focused.

I imagined the power spreading over the baby in a soft golden blanket. I could see the smoke that had filled her lungs and drew it out. The baby coughed delicately and breathed on her own. I dropped the magic.

"She'll be okay," I announced, exhausted. I handed the child back to her mother.

"Thank you again, princess!" She sobbed.

I was getting tired of being thanked.

I picked up my wand and went back to fight. Blast after blast, spell after spell, hand to hand combat after hand to hand combat, I was exhausted. I was staying awake and alert only because if I stopped moving, I wouldn't get back up.

I noticed a pair of dragons flying through the air, carrying off a woman on a stretcher. I noticed the woman's diadem, a diamond.

"Mom!" I shrieked as I blasted a dwarf in the face with a narwhal. I ran back to the infirmary and waited until they set her down.

"Star," she coughed, "I'll be alright. Don't give up." She dug around in her pocket and pulled out a burnt sheet of paper. "Toffee is waiting for you at the east side of the castle. Don't fall in his trap. Stay away from there."

I mentally noted to bring Tom and Marco with me as I nodded in fake agreement. "Don't worry. Get better."

I sent out word that I needed Marco and Tom and several troops and ran for the east side. There was nothing there besides conference rooms, an armory, more bedrooms, and an old receiving room.

I skittered to a stop as I noticed Ludo/Toffee. He had killed many people from the looks of it. It was Toffee's old former body with Ludo's head sitting on his shoulder. He sat in a golden throne, sipping coffee as he stared blankly at the wall.

"Ahh, there you are, Star Butterfly. I was beginning to wonder if I would have to bring you here myself."

I frowned as I walked closer to him, wiping dirt off my cheek. "You coward. Many of your monsters lay dead and you're sitting here having a tea party by yourself."

He chuckled. "I helped as much I could but I knew I was going to lose that battle. But I plan to win the war."

"How?"

"By killing you."

It was my turn to laugh. "No thanks. Not today." I ran through various separating spells through my head. If there was a chance to save Ludo, I would take it. Even if the little bugger had tried to steal my wand.

He sighed and nodded. "But it will be today. I'm almost done taking over Ludo and the moment that is complete, I will raze Mewni to the ground and be remembered as the person who killed the Rebel Princess."

"Go to hell," I snapped. Tom and Marco came running in.

Toffee didn't look bothered. "I was wondering where your boyfriends had gone."

Marco scowled. "She only has one."

The lizard shrugged. "If you say so." Quick as lightning, he thrusted out his wand and a bolt of green magic hit Tom and Marco square in the chest. They flew back and painfully hit the wall behind them.

I screamed for them to get up and attacked. I tried to hit Toffee with a blue arrow but he reflected it off his wand. It fell to the ground.

I flinched as it dissolved, an arrow wasted. Marco snuck up behind Toffee and round housed kicked him in the back of his head. Toffee stumbled forward as Tom trapped him within a fiery inferno. Toffee just laughed and calmly stepped through the ring.

"Heartbeat withdrawal," I gritted as I aimed my wand at his chest. It bounced off his body, as if he were indestructible. He launched himself in my direction and I dove through his legs.

We wore him down.

Marco landed beside me, tired and looking vaguely defeated. "Star, I'm sorry about what I said. I love you."

I ducked out of the way of a green lasso. "I'm sorry too. I love you and I feel so bad."

"Don't. We'll be okay soon. We just have to take out Toffee." He jumped back into the fray, kicking Toffee across the head and punching him in the stomach.

I began chanting the strongest separation spell I could remember as Tom and Marco kept Toffee busy. I called on Ludo's spirit for help, urging him to cleave himself from Toffee's agenda. Ludo's spirit answered me, letting me know it was tired of being under Toffee's control and wanted to be freed.

I focused solely on Toffee and shot a ray of light directly at him. He fell back with wide eyes. Tom and Marco stopped attacking and sat down.

Ludo's body separated from Toffee's slowly. Toffee's head grew back on his body and he groaned.

Ludo weakly crawled over to me, "I'm so sorry, Star Butterfly. I'm so sorry." Marco dragged the little bird away.

Tom walked over to me with a weary grin. "You did it. We won." He wrapped me in a hug.

"Not so fast," Toffee snarled as he picked himself up. "If I die, you die with me." He started glowing.

I realized he was channeling all his energy and the remainder of his life force into a single blast. Out of my peripheral, I saw Marco running towards us and I yelled at him to stay where he was.

Toffee exploded and Tom and I were pushed out of the way. The blast hit Marco and the room went dark.

"Marco!" I cried as I crawled over to him. His eyes were closed. I pressed my head to his chest and listened for the steady beat of his heart. Nothing. "No!" I placed both hands over his body and tried to focus but the reading came out negative. No amount of magic would bring him back.

Tom dragged me away. "Star. He's gone."

"No," I struggled away, "I can fix him!"

"You can't!" He whirled me around and forced me to face him. His eyes watered. "I'm sorry."

"Happy birthday to me," I whispered as I passed out.

The Forces of Evil left after word got out that Toffee had been defeated. We suffered almost no casualties but still mourned those who did die. Rebuilding Mewni would take many months.

King Silverstone and Prince Justin renegotiated the deal of our agreement. We would become allies without any marriage deals between the two kingdoms.

Marco's funeral was held three days later. I dressed completely in black. Before they closed the casket, I tugged the diamond engagement ring from my finger and placed it inside. I couldn't look at it without realizing everything I had lost.

"I'm so sorry Mr. and Mrs. Diaz," I sobbed as they cried in front of his grave.

"We are leaving for Earth soon," Mrs. Diaz answered with a brittle smile. It dropped and she resume crying.

I stayed long after everyone had left. I didn't realize how late it was until Tom came to fetch me. He dropped a sympathetic hand on my shoulder and sat beside me.

He was quiet, as if waiting on me to talk or not.

Fresh tears pricked my eyes painfully, "He was my best friend. What am I going to do without him?"

He hesitated, unsure of what to say. "He would want you to be happy. He loved you and he would have wanted you to keep living and being the best Star you could be."

I start crying all over again and allow him to pull me in. He had to carry me into the castle where he went straight to my room. He tucked me in and said goodnight. I fell asleep, but I knew he was still there. I dreamt about Marco and what our future might have been like. I was happy during the dream but like all nights, it came to an end.

 _One year later:_

"Happy Birthday, Star!"

I blinked in annoyance as I strolled into the dining room of Mewni's castle. Tom and my parents stood there holding balloons, presents, and a gigantic cake made of sugar. I pasted a cheerful smile on my face but inside I cursed them all to Hell, literally.

Did they not remember that Marco died this day exactly one fucking year ago? Or were they doing this to torture me? Would I be charged with three murders if I ran off to Earth?

"Thanks, guys." I gritted out. "You really shouldn't have."

My mother beamed and handed me a gift. "We just want you to have a good birthday!" She squealed as I ripped the wrapping paper off the box.

A book of spells was inside. 'Your Guide to Casting The Perfect Spell' was the title and written in gold. I flipped through the pages, noticing the hard stances.

I hugged my mom quickly. "Thanks!"

My dad had written out 'coupons' for dangerous adventures that I could cash in whenever I wanted. "Thanks, daddy."

He fluffed up with pride and nodded.

Tom handed me his gift to me and walked back. Inside a black box was a diamond and emerald bracelet. Little charms hung from it; a miniature copy of my wand, a narwhal, a tiny little Earth, and a karate belt. I cleared my throat as I felt the tears coming.

"Thanks," I whispered as I hugged him tightly.

A forest fairy cut the cake and handed us each a slice. It was way too sweet but I praised the cook.

My mom and dad retired to their chambers and left me alone with Tom. He placed his plate on the table and grabbed my hand. He tugged me into the gardens and the moon shone down brightly.

Ever since Marco died, I admit that I had become a sad person. I hated anything fun, I hated laughing, I hated anything and anyone who had the audacity to be cheerful. That was depressing of me, I know. But it was hard to be happy without him.

We strolled through the gardens in silence. It was pretty relaxing and peaceful. The air was fragranced with floral scents.

"How are you, Star?" Tom asked with his hands in his pockets.

I shrugged as I zapped an ant. "Some days are better than others. I found myself wearing something other than black." I gestured to my dark navy blue dress.

He poked my side, "It's still a dark color."

To my horror, a laugh bubbled up. "Oh hush," I smacked his shoulder. "It's not black."

He grinned as he spotted a bench. "True." He pulled me down next to him and peered up at the night sky. "Happy sixteenth birthday, Star."

"Thank you, Tom. I'm glad I have a friend like you."

"Any time."

 _Three years later:_

We soared through the air on Nachos' babies. The motorcycle dragon had become involved with another one and had reproduced. I knew Marco would have been happy.

"You can't catch me!" I shouted back at Tom as I urged Cinnamon to go faster. He laughed happily and sped after me.

Tom caught up, "I'm gonna win this race, Starship." He shot forward, leaving me behind.

"No fair!"

We neared the finish line and both crossed it at the same time.

"I win!" We both said at the same time. Tom picked me up and twirled me around.

"You're supposed to let your girlfriend win," I joked as he kissed my cheek.

He grinned devilishly down at me, "Nah, you won last time." He kissed me again, I pushed away once I felt light headed. We found shade and sat under it, unpacked our lunch and began eating.

He downed some water and cleared his throat. "So, I have a question."

I chewed on a strawberry, "yeah?"

"Will you marry me?"

The half-eaten strawberry fell from my fingers in surprise. I stared at him with wide eyes. "What?"

He raised a hand, "I know, you think it's too soon but you're nineteen now. We both care about each other and we would both benefit from this."

I was flung back in time when a fourteen year old Marco got down on one knee and proposed. I had been so young.

"Tom…"

He laced our hands together and smiled. "I know you want to, Star. Let's get married the day you are crowned queen. We have two more years."

"Okay," I said. A bittersweet feeling spread over me, I wasn't Marco's old fiancée anymore, I was Tom's. But I had known this would come. After dating him for the past two years, everyone seemed to be waiting for it.

They expected it.

He kissed me again, "I love you."

 _One year and eleven months later:_

"Stop pacing the hallways, Star." My mother said. "I'm sure you passed the Future Queen Exam."

I threw my hands up, "And if I didn't?" I dug my hands in my hair and pulled. "If I don't pass does that mean I can't be queen? Who's gonna be queen!"

Moon sighed. "I'm sure you did fine. You're older and-hopefully-wiser than you were two years ago. I'm so proud of you, Star. You've maintained your happiness after so much. You even have a handsome fiancé. Tom would probably tell you not to worry."

"That's exactly what I would tell her," a voice behind us said. Tom approached us in a coal black suit. He had grown much taller and muscular over the past six years. He smirked as he looked down at me, "But she probably wouldn't listen."

I scowled as I chewed on my thumbnail. "You two aren't helping. I could or could not be crowned queen in twenty days." My tiara started slipping off and I angrily set it back in place. I had traded my horns for a tiara the day after Marco's funeral.

"Well, one thing's certain." Tom stated with crossed arms, "We're getting married in twenty days."

I waved that away. "Yes, I know. I know." I paced up and down the hallway again. Waiting for the professors to give me the final answer.

I nearly mowed them down as they stepped through the door with grave faces. My heart dropped.

"Princess Butterfly," they gravely said, "you have passed your final exams and are fit to be the next queen of Mewni."

Tom and my mother whooped with gladness. Tom caught me as I threw myself in his direction.

"I knew you'd make it!" He cheerfully said.

"Yay!"

The short three professors left to announce the good news of my exams. Tom took me out to eat to celebrate my good fortune.

He animatedly talked as we are, genuinely happy about our impending wedding. I was happy too, don't get me wrong, but a small part of me wondered how Marco and I would have felt with our wedding day so close at hand.

"So," I asked with a wave of my fork, "how will this work out?"

He paused. Giving me a confused look he asked, "how will what work?"

I gestured at us both. "We both rule kingdoms. How will we choose which one to live in?"

"Hmm," he said, "I hadn't thought about that. We'll just divide it. We'll have to place royal advisors in place for when we aren't there."

I pursed my lips and nodded. "Okay. Can we live in Mewni first? I feel kinda bad, I don't want them to think I've abandoned them."

He covered my hand with his, "of course but don't forget that your mother will still be there to help when we need it."

"True."

As I took my hair down for bed, I stared in the mirror. My face had lost its baby fat, the blueness of my eyes had faded a degree, my lips were dark pink instead of the rose petal red that they had been. I brushed my hair out and braided it. An uneasy feeling grew in my chest.

I set the brush down and climbed into bed. Today had been exhausting and I just wanted to rest for a million years.

My eyes closed and opened back up. I scrambled from the bed, falling on my face in the process. "Ow!"

The flash of silver caught my eye again. There, near my cosmetics, hair accessories, and jewelry sat my engagement ring. But it wasn't the one Tom had given me, no, I was wearing that one.

I picked up the ring with two shaky hands. The one Marco had picked out, the ring I had buried with him, the one with the million little glitter speck sized hearts, was in my hands.

Anger gripped me. What an awfully sick joke someone had played.

When I awoke in the morning, I marched to the front hall where I knew my parents were.

"Look at this!" I demanded. I tossed the ring to my dad who clumsily caught it. "Exact same copy as the one Marco gave me. I want whoever played this joke found. I need a few words with them."

Tom strolled in the front hall with a cheerful expression. Then he saw me and lost it. "What's wrong?"

My dad handed Tom the ring and Tom's face thundered up.

"What is this?" He asked.

I placed both hands on my hips, swinging my hair behind my back. "Someone tried to play a joke."

"What a fucked up one," he growled. He handed me the ring and assured me, "I'll find who did this."

As he stormed off, I called out, "leave him or her alive for me. I want to talk to them." He snorted and waved goodbye over his shoulder as he left.

My mom looked incredibly upset and disturbed. "I only hope it's a copy and not the real thing. I would hate to think someone defiled his grave."

I blanched at the thought. "Oh, poor Marco."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll find the culprit." My dad left in search of the royal guards who had been assigned in securing the castle.

The day before the wedding was scheduled for my last wedding dress fitting. I stood in one place as people conferenced around me, deciding if the dress had enough alterations or not.

"Cheer up, Star." My mother ordered. "This should be fun for you."

"Well," I muttered, "it isn't."

They went about choosing headbands to complete the entire thing. An idea occurred and I made a pair of red horns pop up.

"There," I said officially, "that's all I need."

They protested against the horns but I ignored them all as I changed back into my red shirt and black skinny jeans. I wore the horns out of the shop. I felt a skip in my step and I realized I had been missing my old horns.

Tom laughed as he saw them. "Please tell me you'll be wearing those tomorrow. Now I won't be the only one with horns."

I smiled, pleased that I had made him happy. "I will. Thought it'd be my something old."

He caught my hand and twirled me around to the music only he could hear, "Great."

"What time is the coronation ceremony?" I wanted to be absolutely sure of the time and place.

"Eleven in the morning. Our wedding is at one that afternoon."

I laughed nervously. "I'm so nervous."

"Don't be. We have each other.

"All hail Queen Star Butterfly!"

The people cheered for me, throwing flower petals as I walked passed them. I just couldn't shake off the feeling I was being watched. Which was super silly since the entire populace of Mewni was here.

"We love you, Queen Star!"

I waved and threw kisses at my new people. So far so good. Now I only had to get through the wedding and I could take a nap.

My mother rushed me into the dressing room, giving out orders and instructions. They zipped up my dress and applied minimal makeup to my face.

With only forty minutes to spare, I climbed into the wedding carriage and made my way down to the church. My stomach was filled with nerves.

The wedding march started playing and I took deep cleansing breaths. Today had been meant for Marco and me.

I scolded myself. "Quit being an idiot." I signaled for the doors to open and walked down the aisle with my dad on my arm.

I made it to Tom and he reached out for my hands. The priest recited the vows and instructed us in repeating them.

"If anyone has reason for these two people to not get married, speak now or forever hold your peace," The priest clearly wasn't expecting someone to object. But that's what someone did. The doors slammed opened and a figure appeared in the doorway.

"I do,"that figure boldly said.

He stopped in front of us with a cocky grin on his face.

I breathed in shakily, "Marco." And all hell broke lose.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Marco

Imagine this; you wake up only to find darkness. Thinking there's a problem with your eyes you begin to freak out. It worsens as you realize you're buried six feet under ground. But why would someone bury you when you're clearly not dead?

I pounded on the casket door for hours, screaming until I lost my voice. My hands were all bloodied and I knew it was impossible to move a ton of dirt from on top the coffin.

"Why?" I whimpered as I felt something crawl over my leg. Or did I imagine it? I felt around in search of something…anything I could use to help me.

My fingers brushed against a delicate ring.

'That's Star's engagement ring,' a whisper said.

"No." I argued.

A quiet laugh, 'She gave it back. She's with Tom now. I can help you get out of here. Or you can stay here and rot.'

I struggled against the luring voice. It was tempting to say yes, hell, it was nearly impossible to say no. But the voice I was hearing wasn't good.

'Don't you want to get out? Do you want the bugs to slowly but painfully eat you alive?' It continued. 'Star doesn't love you anymore, look.'

A hologram of Star and Tom appeared out of thin air. They walked through the garden outside of her home. They were holding hands and laughing. Tom stopped Star in the middle of her tracks and kissed her.

My heart dropped. "How long have I been in here?"

'One day.'

I swallowed the rock-like emotions in my throat. "Get me out of here."

'Good boy.'

For the next six years I learned all I could on the Butterfly family and on Tom. I knew their weaknesses, their histories, their favorite foods, their sleeping cycles. I knew which part of the kingdom they liked to frequent.

I knew who slept in who's room. And that was what surprised me the most about Star. Sure, she was now eighteen but it still came as a shock when I was told about her sleeping with Tom.

'I told you that she forgot all about you,' the voice said, laughing at my surprise.

"Shut the fuck up," I growled.

'As you wish.'

"Tomorrow is the princess' birthday," a henchman reminded me. "She'll be twenty-one. A coronation and wedding all in the same day."

I rubbed my chin. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Make plans to attend." Digging through my pockets I handed him Star's engagement ring. "Place this somewhere she'll see it."

"Anything else, master?" He asked.

"Find me a suit to wear."

The henchman nodded and slithered off. I took deep nervous breaths at the thought of seeing Star again. Anger bubbled up in my chest, how dare she forget me?

'She never loved you,' the quiet voice returned from sleeping. I could hear the grin in his tone.

"Fuck off," I said as I grabbed a pair of weights from the ground. If I wasn't planning revenge on people, I was working out. It calmed me.

But it wasn't working today.

The next morning I woke and dressed in a hurry. Star's coronation was bound to be packed tight. I shrugged my white shirt on, pulled the black suit jeans on and tightened my belt. I rolled the sleeves up to my elbows.

Did I need a tie? No.

'Are you going to mess up the coronation?' The voice asked mildly interested.

"No," I replied out loud, ignoring all the crazy looks I received as I made my way through crowds of people. I shuffled forward toward the front but kept far enough back where she couldn't see me. "It's the wedding I'm concerned about."

'Ah.'

"Quiet," I murmured. The ceremony had begun and I watched as Star glided up the stairs. Jesus, she had grown so damn beautiful. Her blonde hair shone and was brilliant against the red dress she wore. She held herself up with dignity and seemed unnerved by everyone before her. Her face had lost its childish look and in place was perfection. Her lips…I wanted to kiss her.

She repeated every word perfectly, her voice soft but strong. She knelt before the priest and her mother and father and pledged to serve the kingdom of Mewni with her life. A new crown was lifted onto her head, her princess crown flicked upward and destroyed.

She laced her hands together and turned to face her kingdom. Her fingers fiddled vaguely with the fabric of her dress and that's how I knew she was nervous.

She walked at the edge of the crowd, going to the carriage that would take her home to change quickly and take her to the church.

Faltering a bit, she hurriedly scanned the crowd as if looking for someone. I smirked, so she knew I was here. Or at least felt it.

Her gaze hit a little to close to me so I ducked behind a food stand.

The next time I peeked around, she was in the white vehicle. A movement just out of the range of my vision alerted me.

I was pulled through a portal and back into Hekapoo's dimension. A pair of swords were level at my throat. I grinned as her face appeared in front of mine, the flame ever burning.

She glowered at me, furious. "The stones were right! You are alive. How?"

"Long story," I said. "Now, I need you to keep this a secret."

Her eyes widened in shock. "You're not Marco…not fully."

I grinned, "if you say anything I will kill you." Quick as lightning I reached for her throat and slammed her into the wall. "Don't test me, Hekapoo." I stepped away and watched her sink to the ground. "Or our little secret might be discovered."

She tenderly grabbed her throat as she glared at me. "That was a mistake."

"It happened, whether you like it or not. Now," I stepped back and straightened my collar. "I have a wedding to go to. How do I look?"

If looks could kill, I'd probably be dead again.

I opened a portal but turned around one last time, "oh. And if you tell anyone, it'll be the last thing you do. Bye, H-poo."

By the time I returned to Mewni, the ceremony was beginning. Not allowed inside, I waited. Until I heard the priest say 'or forever hold your peace.' I snapped both of the guards necks and watched them fall to ground. How weak.

I shoved the doors apart and strolled inside. "I do."

I stopped in front of bride to be and groom with a cocky grin.

Star went pale and a shaky hand reached out to me. "Marco?"

"Star." Her blue eyes watered as she laughed and cried simultaneously..

Her arms went around my neck as she hugged me tightly. "Oh my God! Marco! You're alive!"

For a moment all of my anger disappeared and I wrapped my arms around her. Her body fit perfectly right with mine.

I found myself flung back away from her by an angry Tom. He shook visibly, fists clenched and eyes practically glowing with hostility.

"Tom!" Star cried out. "Stop!"

He didn't stop but came after me at a full run. His fist hit my jaw and I stumbled back. But I wasn't the weak human anymore. I caught his next swing and slammed my fist into his hard stomach. He doubled over but quickly swept my feet out from under me.

Though I was paying no attention to them, the guests were screaming and yelling as they ran for the exits. I rolled out of the way as his foot came down hard.

I jumped up, ready to beat the ever living hell out of him but Star wedged herself in between us. Her horns sat on her head, messed up and nearly falling off.

"Stop!" She yelled again. "That's enough." She put one hand on each of us.

Tom nodded as he breathed heavily, he covered her hand with his. "Move, Star."

I sneered. "Yeah, move so I can beat the fuck out of your groom-to-be."

She shook her blonde head, her eyes red with tears. "No! This shouldn't be happening! We should be happy!"

I backed away, sitting down on a pew. "I'm very happy you found the love of your life, Star."

She gasped. Then frowned. "Why didn't you tell me you were alive?"

I shrugged, wiping blood from my mouth. "You had forgotten all about me."

Star stared at me then shook her head. "I don't understand. I have to go home." She backed away from both of us and turned to leave. Tom glowered at me once more and I sneered a smile. He stopped in his tracks and blanched slightly. Sure I let some of the voice peek through but it wasn't bad.

"Wait," I called out as I ran to catch up to her. She glanced down at the hand on her arm. "I love you. Don't leave me again."

Tom pried her from my grasp and tugged her away. "Not right now, Diaz."

They climbed into a carriage and they left for the castle. At least they weren't married. That was my first concern.

As the carriage rolled away, I noticed Tom glaring at me from the window. Giving him a sneaky grin, I turned away. I didn't have to be him to see the evil lurking behind it.

It was no surprise when they didn't allow me into the castle for hours. I just leaned against the walls and waited for them to acknowledge me, the people walking by, whispering about Evil and superstition. I just glared them down and watched as they scurried off.

A portal materialized beside me and Hekapoo jumped through. She stumbled as she saw me.

I pushed away from the wall and walked up to her. "Get me into the castle," I ordered.

She glared but allowed me in. "They're talking about locking you up until they know it's really you. Tom suspects you aren't you."

I sighed, "He's just worried that I might steal Star away from him." She said nothing else as we walked into the conference room. Tom stood at the head of the table with his hands placed flat on the surface as he talked to the Butterfly family. The Magic High Commission sat around the royal family.

"We should just go ahead and get married now," Tom said. "We don't need a ceremony. Just get a priest in here and we'll officiate it."

Moon shook her head in protest. "I'm sorry, Tom. But we have to stick to tradition."

They looked up as we approached.

"Marco," Star gasped. She had changed out of her wedding dress and had on a simple long yellow off the shoulder dress.

I smiled, I assumed in an innocent way, at her. "Star." I tried to walk over to her but a wall of fire stopped me.

Tom balled his fists and stalked over to me.

'You could easily take him out,' a whisper in my head said.

"Stay away from my fiancée," Tom snarled.

Star came over and placed both of her hands on his chest, "Tom. Calm down, please." She gave him her signature big blue eyed puppy eyes and he nodded.

Snaking his arms around her waist, he pulled her in, whispering into her ear.

The voice scoffed and laughed. 'Told you she didn't love you anymore.'

Anger washed over me. "Star. We have to talk."

She turned to me. "Why didn't you tell me you were alive?" She closed her eyes and opened them, fury visible. She slammed her hands into my chest and I stumbled back. "You made me think you were dead!" Another shove. "I cried for ages!" Shove. "You fucking idiot!" Shove. "Damn you!" Shove. Tears ran down her face. Shove.

My chest began to ache and I caught the next shove. I held her hands in mine. "Stop it." She struggled out of my grip, kicking my shins and beating on my chest. "Star! Stop."

Her sobs cut through me. I felt a moment of confusion. Why was she acting like this if she never loved me?

The voice seemed tense as it whispered, 'it's all an act! She's faking!'

Tom tugged her away from me, leading her out of the room. He shot me one last glare before shutting the door.

Moon stood up and walked over to me. She stared at me for a long while, staring into my eyes. "Marco, what happened?"

I shrugged, "I woke up in another dimension. The one with weird shapes and objects. It took me a long time before I realized who I was. Then I came here." I waved my hands around in confusion. "But everything is different."

Star's mom flinched. "Yes, things have changed." She took a long breath. "Your death hurt her tremendously."

Anger popped up again. "But I wasn't dead. I wouldn't have given up on her."

"It was six years, Marco. What did you expect?"

I scoffed, "not this. I want her back."

'Only so you can kill her,' a laugh said wickedly in my mind.

Moon took her time answering, "I'm not entirely sure how that would work out. Tom and Star have been together for a long time."

'And she didn't try to stop her,' my mind said. 'She needs to die too. The entire kingdom of Mewni does.'

"I'll win her back," I promised. I had to get my revenge. I would enjoy crushing Star and Tom and everyone else who forgot about me.

I stayed in the shadows of the hallway, waiting for Tom to leave Star's room before I went in. I wanted to talk to her alone before I killed her.

He finally left, three hours later. He looked exhausted and searched the hallway closely but didn't see me.

I pushed my way into her room quietly. Her back was to me, she was under her covers. I could tell by the way her back rose and fell softly that she was asleep. I locked the door, not wanting anyone to come in.

A soft sob drifted to me. So she wasn't asleep.

I touched her shoulder. "Star?" I kept my touch gentle while I reached for my knife strapped to my side.

She flipped over. Her eyes were red. "What do you want?"

I dropped the knife onto the carpet. Her nightgown was practically transparent. "We have to talk."

She sat up. "Why didn't you come to me after? I waited for you."

I scoffed and sat down at the edge of her bed. "You were busy with Tom."

She wiped her eyes clear. "No. I waited. Then after two years we got together."

'She's lying,' he said.

"I have proof you didn't," I countered. "Did I mean so little to you? You were the last thing that ran through my head when Toffee's blast hit me." I laughed bitterly. "I remember being relieved that you and Tom were okay."

She scrambled up on her knees, "you were everything to me. You were my best friend."

"Clearly I wasn't." I sighed and stood up. "Good night, Star."

Before I had the chance to open the door she stopped me.

"Stay with me," she whispered.

I blinked. "I thought that you and Tom were engaged?"

She blushed, confusion written all over her face. "I don't know."

'Make her want you. Make her trust you. Then crush her,' the voice ordered.

I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into me. Her arms wrapped around my neck as I kissed her. She was warm and trusting against me. So soft and delicate even though I knew how strong she was.

I picked her up as I walked us back to the bed. She clung to me eagerly. With a hard yank, her nightgown ripped off and was thrown to the floor. Her hands unbuttoned my shirt and I felt her warm hands glide over my skin.

Her head fell back as I kissed her neck. "Fucking beautiful," I harshly whispered.

"I love you," she said breathlessly.

"Don't," I snarled. "Don't say that."

She pulled away from me, "but I do."

I climbed over her body, twenty-one year old Star was fucking hot. "Not now. Save it for later." I continued to kiss her everywhere.

But one thing stood out to me, after she cried out in pain I stopped trying to move further inside of her.

"You're a virgin."

She glared at me angrily. "Of course I am!" She tried to shove me off but I held her still.

"Oh no," I chuckled angrily. "We have to finish what we started."

"This was a mistake."

"Nothing is a mistake."

We finished later and I held her to me. She pressed herself to me sleepily, murmuring half asleep.

I held her until the sun came up. I changed then left her room. I would leave Tom to discover his fiancée throughly fucked. No doubt he'd come for me.

'Have fun?'

I stopped in my tracks as I reminded myself I shouldn't be seen talking to no one.

But there was no one around so I was safe. "You lied to me," I snarled.

The voice yawned, bored. 'About what?'

"About Tom and Star sleeping together," I stopped talking as a guard moved down the hallway.

The voice laughed softly, 'What difference does it make? She left you and chose him."

I tried to agree but I couldn't. If Star had been a virgin before last night, what else was the voice lying about? A violent pulse ran through me, leaving me gasping and leaning against the wall.

'I made you into who you are today,' the voice growled. 'Don't try to betray me.' Another shock and I fell to the ground.

"Fine," I choked out. My chest and left arm hurt like hell. It had never hurt me before.

'Now,' a cheerful tone and then an order, 'find a way to kill Moon.'


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: GUYS! There's a new intro to SVTFOE and I freaking the fuck out! I live on the opposite side of the country so I wasn't able to go to the panel. I might go absolutely mad from waiting. I'm so sad and so excited for summer to hurry it's ass up so I can go ahead and see season 3. If anyone has the intro, help a sister out. I won't share. On another note, I received a PM from a lovely person who asked me to put WARNING: POSSIBLE SEX SCENE! next time on my chapters. Sorry if I offended anyone. To be totally honest, I write romance novels and that was NOTHING compared to what I could have written. Love you guys. Enjoy this mess I call a fanfic!_

Chapter 10 Star

I woke up alone and cursed out loud when I realized what I had done last night.

"You idiot!" I scolded myself as I tugged on my hair. Tom was going to be furious. He was going to literally explode with anger.

A knock on the door announced a visitor and the door opened, an army of fairies drifting in.

"Your Majesty," the leader squeakily said, "we're hear to help you dress."

A floor length, off the shoulder, puffy sky blue dress with white lace was dropped over my head and two fairies tugged it down. They stuck my feet in white slippers, piled my hair on my head and twisted and tucked until it sat like a high bun.

A golden crown with a pink heart was placed on top of my head. What does a queen do on her first day of her ruling? I sighed, I guess I would find out later today.

I stood there as they plucked my eyebrows, filed and manicured my hands, and repaired a tear in the hem of the dress. I began to fidget after ten minutes. I could feel my energy bubbling up in the pit of my stomach. Finally, I waved them away.

"Please," I begged as I hurried to the door, "no more. I can do all of those things myself." I stepped out into the hallway, having trouble walking in the floor length dress and almost tripped.

Fortunately my mom caught me by my elbows and held me steady.

She gave me a bright grin as she hooked her arm through mine and walked to the throne room. "Relax. The High Commission is gathered in the conference room. We're going to transfer power over to you but there's an issue."

I arched an eyebrow. "What issue?"

She gave me a thin smile but said nothing. We greeted the people running in an out of the castle as they passed by.

I repeated myself again, "Mom, what issue?" I'll admit it, I had been pretty nervous about running a kingdom all by myself. But I had come to accept that I was going to be responsible for people. Anything threatening that would have to be eliminated.

She came to the conference room and walked right in. A pot of coffee and some donuts sat on the table. Though we rarely ever drank coffee, it was always available. And today, the entire High Commission had ceramic mugs filled with it. Dark circles were under their eyes, it was clear they were exhausted.

They stood up as my mom and I approached. We said our 'good mornings' and sat down. I poured myself a cup of coffee and masked its bitter taste with sugar and cream. I would need the strength for whatever today decided to throw at me. My dad came in a minute later and proceeded to devour five donuts.

I signed a mountain of paperwork that would allow me power of the treasury, armory, army, prisons, Mewnian affairs, national archives, the secret and magical journals of dark magic. I was given the documents of recent issues regarding failing crops and the most recent events of the kingdom of Caldor.

"There's one last issue we need to discuss," Hekapoo stated as she glanced warily at the door as if waiting for someone to show up.

"Yeah?" Finally I'd know what it was.

My mom glanced around the room before settling her gaze on me. "You must be married to fully take charge of Mewni. Though you will be the one in charge, you need support coming from a corner. You have less than a year to marry before the kingdom appoints a general council to act as a parliament."

Damn it. "Can't I just change that stupid law?" I asked, a tad pissed off. "Do I really need a husband to be seen as a legitimate ruler?"

My mom shook her head no at the first question. "It's the way things are. Mewni is old fashioned. The queen is in charge but only if she has a husband." The other people sitting around us suddenly had a huge interest in the ceiling.

I waved a hand at my dad. "Can't dad act as king for the moment?"

"Er," my dad muttered. "I don't know."

I frowned in annoyance. Pushing myself up, I walked to the window. I could see the early risers such as farmers and merchants walking about the village. They brought out their plows and seed to the fields and got to work. The merchants set up their stalls, preparing to sell their goods.

I turned back to the group. "What if I don't want to marry."

"You have to," My mother gingerly told me. "In any other circumstances it would be easy to pick the king…but this isn't easy." I could tell she was thinking of Tom and Marco.

The doors opened they both walked in, as if summoned. Well, one of them was a demon but that wasn't the point. I could tell they had been arguing by the tension on both faces. How was I to choose between them?

"Good morning, Your Highness," Tom greeted me warmly with a kiss to my cheek. I blushed scarlet when he pulled me into a hug and I noticed Marco staring at me with a knowing smirk.

Tom released me and Marco scooped me into a hug.

"Good morning, Star." He casually said, "I hope you slept well last night." Cue more blushing from me.

I stepped back away from both of them and held my hands in front of me. "Good morning. This is a closed meeting."

Tom frowned as he stepped forward. "I've always been allowed in your meetings."

Marco scoffed and threw him a sly grin," looks like that's changed." He clearly hadn't shaved in the morning, the shadow of his beard peeked out. "Or maybe Star doesn't want you to find out what they're discussing."

I forced myself to stay calm. How did he know we were talking about something? Or was he just guessing? "I need you two to leave. I'll see you later."

"Come on, Starship." Tom said with a confused look.

I pushed them both out of the room gently. "Queen's orders."

I turned back to the High Commission. "I'm not marrying anyone. Find a way to abolish the law or something."

Of course for the next few hours they tried to change my mind but I persevered and held my ground. I wasn't gonna marry anyone. Not if it meant having to choose between Marco and Tom.

After spending four years with Tom, you'd think it'd be an easy choice. But my feelings for Marco came rushing back. Even if he did seem a bit odd now, he would mumble to himself when no one was looking, he had been my best friend. For a week and a half he had been my fiancé. I wasn't sure about anything.

All I knew was that I had to keep Tom and Marco away from each other.

I walked up to a guard outside the room, "where is King Tom of the Underworld and Marco Diaz?"

The guard shuffled underneath his metal suit. "The king of the Underworld greeted a woman named Janna and took her to the sun room in the east wing. Mr. Diaz is in the gymnasium working on his sword skills."

"Thanks."

I decided to go to Marco first. Janna could wait for a while. I did find Marco working on his combat skills.

He moved like a demon. His sword slashed through the air in a way I had never seen before. He stabbed and sliced at the training dummy. He breathed heavily, and hacked the head off.

He muttered to himself. "I know, I have to get better. Shut up."

"How long have you been talking to yourself?" I asked as I bent down for the head. I walked over to him, "you never used to do that. I mean, not when I wasn't there. You'd talk to yourself when you couldn't believe all the crazy things I had done."

He smiled slightly. "Like that time you booby trapped the football field because you thought the other team was going to actually 'slaughter' ours."

"Earth sports are a difficult concept!" I protested.

He laughed as I smacked his arm playfully. "You took things too literally. That was my fault. I should've been looking out for you." He dug through his pockets and came up with duct tape and taped the dummy's head back on.

"How did you survive?" I blurted out as I made him face time. I placed both hands on his arms and searched his face. He hesitated but didn't say anything.

He sighed. "I'm not sure. I woke up somewhere and it took me a while to figure out who I was."

I removed my hands and crossed my arms over my chest. "I waited for you. But I had to move on or the Butterfly family would lose the throne."

"So now you'll marry Tom." He quietly said.

It was my turn to hesitate. "I'm not sure."

"What happened last night wasn't a mistake, Star." He said pointedly.

I shook my head. "It shouldn't have happened."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm engaged to Tom!"

"You were engaged to me first. The Blood Moon holds us together. An engagement on Mewni is binding. The Blood Moon bound us together. Why do you think these things keep happening when you're with Tom?" He pulled me into him, "You still love me."

"It doesn't matter what I want. Or what I feel," I struggled from him, "I can't choose between you two."

He let me go, his face turning thunderous. "You love him."

"I love you both," I corrected. "I need time."

"You don't have that." The way he said it saddened me. By the way his face fell, it saddened him too. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What?"

The door opened and in walked Tom and Janna. Janna's black hair was loose and wavy, she wore a short blue and green sundress.

"Sttaarrrr," she sang happily. Her pink diamond dimensional scissors hung from the black leather strap she had at her hips. Her golden gladiator sandals smacked the floor softly.

After begging and annoying Hekapoo for years, Hekapoo finally gave in and crafted Janna her own pair of scissors. There was one condition; Janna was to never, never, NEVER go to Hekapoo's dimension.

Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she stood in front of me. "Or should I say Your Highness?" She bowed playfully. "I'm here to wish you and Tom congratulations on your marriage. Bet last night was wicked." Her eyes flickered over to Marco. "Who is this sweet thang?" She held her hand out, her nails pink and black with tiny skulls decals. "Hey, I'm Janna."

Marco smirked as he shook it. I could see him struggling to contain a laugh. "Hey, Janna. I haven't seen you in a while."

Her eyes widened so much I was afraid they would swallow her face. "Marco?" They ran over his frame. "How is this possible?"

He told the story over again as Tom pulled me away from the two.

"Hey, how are you?"

I nodded as we walked over to the window. "Good, trying to get a hang of this thing." I leaned out of the window.

"Are we still getting married?" He softly asked me. "I know Marco has complicated things. We've fought more the past few days than ever. He packs quite a punch."

"Tom. I love you but I need time."

"You don't have much."

I laughed sadly, "that's the second time I've heard that."

He bent his head over mine and his lips touched mine softly. They were warm and tasted of cinnamon and coffee.

"I love you, Starship." He whispered as he pulled away, aware of Marco glaring at him. Tom scowled at him. "She was mine first," he mumbled to himself. "Well, I have a kingdom to run. I'll be back later." He straightened the cuffs of his black suit and left with a snap of his fingers.

"Good riddance," Marco muttered. "I wonder how my parents are."

I gasped as I realized his parents had no idea he was alive. "I visited them last week. They were okay."

He frowned, "what were you doing visiting my parents?"

I nervously laughed as I smoothed my dress out, "I went to tell them about Tom and I. They were happy for me."

His face took on surprise, "really?"

"Yeah," I squeaked. I backed away and bumped into Janna.

"Let's go see them!" Marco said as he ripped a portal open.

"I can't," I exclaimed with held up hands. "I'm the queen and I can't go anywhere."

"Sure you can," Marco grabbed my hand and pulled me through the portal.

"No!" I repeated and we were off to Earth.

I tumbled through the portal and landed in a heap on the floor. "Damn it, Marco. I said no!" A pair of hands helped me up. He put my crown back on my head straight while Janna snickered at me.

After my vision settled I saw that we stood in the doorway of his house. The couch was empty, the staircase that led upstairs was quiet. Sunlight rained in through the windows.

Marco's face fell. "I thought they would be here."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him behind me, going for the kitchen. I could hear the sizzle from a frying pan coming from it.

Raphael and Angie talking happily as he chopped bell peppers and she stirred the browning meat in the pan.

"Oh hey, Star!" Marco's dad said. He stopped and corrected himself. "Wait, it is 'Your Highness' now isn't it?" He swaddled me in his arms.

Angie joined him. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you have you gone on your honey moon?"

"It is Your Highness, but you don't have to use that. No, I didn't get married," I told them, very embarrassed. "I have someone who wants to say hello."

Marco stepped forward. His eyes watered. "Hey, guys."

"Dios mío!" Raphael exclaimed. "Marco!"

Angie screamed in disbelief and quickly hugged him.

"I missed you too," Marco murmured. I pulled the pan from the stove and motioned for Janna to follow me. They were having their moment.

"Open a portal to Mewni for me, please?" I asked her.

She grinned and did. "So what does this mean?" As I stepped through I shrugged.

"It means I have to give up a person I love."

This time I landed standing up on the hard floor. My mom and dad rushed at me with worried looks.

"Oh there you are!" My mom exclaimed. "We thought something had happened. I know you're queen but you have to be guarded at all times!"

They led me back to the throne room.

I sat down with a weary sigh. "Sorry, Marco was reunited with his parents."

"You do know you have to choose right?" My father asked.

I nodded sadly. "I know."


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Hey, guys! When I first started writing this fanfic I originally planned it out to be around 7k words. I wanted to keep my mind off of the fact that I had to wait for season 3 to come out. It was supposed to be Marco going to Mewni and getting Star back. Easy in and out. I didn't think it would come to this almost 30k word fanfic. I've had the best time writing this. I hate to be a downer but in another two or three chapters, this story will be done. BUT! This isn't the last of me. I plan on writing another fanfic about Marco and Star's daughter. I hope you read that as well. I love you guys. Enjoy this chapter!_

Chapter 11 Marco

My parents were upset with me for being 'dead' the past few years. Of course, I didn't blame them. I pointed out that they technically couldn't ground me and they began laughing. It dawned on them that I wasn't a fourteen year old anymore, I stood in front of them as a twenty-one year old man.

A smack from my mom came out of nowhere. "Why didn't you come back? It took you almost seven years to let us know you are alive!" Her eyes blazed with anger.

'Your mom is a buzz kill,' the voice stated as he yawned.

"Shut it," I grumbled.

My dad frowned, "excuse me?"

"Sorry," I said, "I was talking to myself." I ran a hand through my hair. I had to do something in order to get rid of that damn voice. A minor shock ran through me and I groaned.

'You can't get rid of me,' it snapped.

I gripped my chest, grinding my teeth to stifle the pain. My mom stared at me strangely, extremely concerned. I could feel her gaze searching me. Could it be that she had an instinct about the voice in my head?

'Look away,' the voice nervously commanded. I could tell it didn't want to be prodded. I felt it sliding deeper into my mind, away from my mom's eyes. A cold sensation settled over me like a blanket.

I averted my eyes with a chuckle. "It took me a while to figure out who I was after I woke up."

She gave me a brittle smile, one that told me she didn't believe me. "I'm just happy to have you back." She searched behind me and glanced at my dad. "Did Star leave?"

He nodded, "she wanted to give us a private moment."

Taking back the situation, I cleared my throat, "Speaking of Star…I heard you gave her your blessing for her and Tom's marriage." I leaned against the counter. I took slight enjoyment from their discomfort. My mom tugged at her hair as my dad fiddled with the cut up vegetables. "Why would you do that?"

She winced, "You were gone for years. She deserved-deserves- to be happy." Though I could tell she was intimidated, she stood her ground. "It's unfair to her to be alone and Tom seemed like the best fit."

"Best fit…" I repeated. "How? The man has anger issues!" I slammed my fist down and caused them both to jump. Which made it seem like I had anger issues.

She sighed, "Marco…Star stayed away from Earth for months after you 'died'. Tom was there for her. He was her friend. They didn't plan on getting back together, it just happened. I remember Star coming and crying because she felt like she was forgetting about you. She was confused about her feelings."

"Sounds like you're defending her," I accused. I watched as my dad went and put his arms around her.

"We wanted the girl you loved to be happy. We believed that's what you wanted too." His gaze warned me not to upset my mother.

Crossing my arms against my chest, I shrugged. "She didn't wait for me. Not even a day passed before she ran back to Tom." The first vision of what the voice showed me replayed in my head.

"Who told you that?" My father questioned.

Aware that I would be giving it away, the voice advised me to lie. "A good friend." I pushed away from the counter. "I have to go. I'll see you guys later."

I racked my head to try and remember where Jackie lived. Would she remember me? Of course she would. I was the guy who picked a princess over her. When I wasn't trying to take revenge on the Butterfly family, I was looking up what happened to all of my old friends. One day, one of my minions told me that Jackie had moved on campus of a local university. I decided to try and find her. What for? I had no idea.

I found the campus easily and it wasn't long until classes let out and I caught a glimpse of her. Her hair was long, and she still sported the mint green streak on the left side. I never knew that it was natural until she told me. She wore skinny jeans, a white transparent tank top and a black cardigan. Black hipster glasses sat on her nose. A tall Hispanic guy walked beside her, his eyes were lined with black eyeliner. A grey shirt had the logo of a local heavy metal band.

He wrapped one arm around her shoulders. She laughed at something he said and covered her face with her hands.

I waited for the jealousy to kick in but it never came. I guess the only time I was jealous was whenever I saw Tom and Star together. Just the thought of them pissed me off to a royal extreme. I loved that girl.

"Marco?" A hesitant voice asked.

I snapped from my thoughts about the day of the Blood Moon Ball and saw Jackie standing in front of me. Her eyes wide, face pale. Her freckles stood out.

Of course, everyone thought I was dead. Her boyfriend was behind her, a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

I gave her a smirk, "Hey, Jackie."

"But you're dead," she whispered. "Dude, you died six years ago in Mewni." She laughed as she pulled me into a hug. "Dude! It's so good to see you again."

I hugged her as I glanced at her boyfriend. "Yeah, you too. What are you majoring in?"

"Astronomy and Quantum Physics," she answered as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The same array of piercings were there. "Fabian is too," she gestured to the guy beside her. "Listen, I'm sorry about how things ended between us when you went after Star."

I chuckled. "It's cool. I wasn't fair to either of you. I didn't know how I felt, that was my fault."

She shrugged with a sheepish grin, "Well. It was good seeing you." With a wave, they walked away.

An exhausted sigh left me. I opened a portal after making sure no one was watching. It was time Star and I had a meaningful conversation. It was time I told her he truth.

When I got to the castle, a chilling wave washed over me. Suddenly, I couldn't control my own body.

'Go to the throne room,' the voice ordered. A sinister plan whirled around my head. A long silver sickle materialized in my hands, the blade sharp and curved. I suddenly envisioned Star and River hacked into bloody pieces on the floor.

The realization of the voice being Toffee was a slap in the face. I know, I should've known. I felt stupid. Toffee was finally taking control of me in order to get revenge on Moon.

"No," I objected. But my feet carried me forward anyway. I felt my conscious being shoved back as Toffee took possession of me.

I kicked opened the wooden doors, splinters flying everywhere. The guards immediately jumped in front of Queen Star but wavered as they noticed it was me.

'No!' I mentally shouted. 'Attack me!'

Star and Tom stood there with gaping mouths. I couldn't blame them as the stood frozen in place. Star stared at me in severe disbelief as she gripped a sheet of parchment paper in her hands.

"Marco?" She asked hesitatingly.

"Hello, Princess." I swung the blade and quickly beheaded a guard. "How nice to see you again." Another guard got too close for comfort so Toffee made me punch my fist through his chest and pull out his heart. The bloody heart oozed blood all over my hand and dripped onto the floor.

Star screamed loudly, tried to unstrap her wand, as Tom shoved her behind him.

"Toffee," Tom addressed me. "I knew I wasn't crazy." His hands began to blaze. A fireball gathered in his hand.

I flicked my right pointer finger toward the wall and off he went, slamming painfully into it. He slumped into a heap. "My problem isn't with you, King Tom."

'Run!' I tried to scream at Star but she stood her ground in front of me.

"How?" She hysterically asked.

I held up one hand and studied it. Though Toffee preferred stronger hosts, I had proved to be resilient.

"The last blast I used carried the last shreds of my life. I meant to hit you and Tom so I could take better control of Mewni and the Underworld but Marco shoved you out of the way." I shrugged. "So I was stuck in Marco's body. I led him to think he was in charge and fed him all sorts of little lies. It made it easier for him to hate you."

"Marco wouldn't give in to you." Star snarled at me.

"He was already a bit evil. The octopus arm and Queen Eclipsa's chapter never truly left him."

I swung the sickle and a thin line of bright red blood appeared on her cheek. She gasped as she reached up to touch it. "And Marco hates you quite a bit."

Too late did I notice the demon king stand up and encase me in a ring of fire. My clothes caught on fire. Toffee didn't panic, he swatted the fire out.

Tom stomped his foot and a line of fire raced toward as the floor began to split open. I could feel the flames burning my skin but Toffee payed no attention to it.

"Leave the queen out of this," Tom snarled as he stalked forward to us.

"No can do. I have revenge to dispatch." I gave him a grin. The moment Tom was in front of me, I grabbed him by his throat and drove him into the ground. A foot deep impression marred the floor. "You should stay out of it."

A blast of light had me flying backwards. Star stood there with her wand pointed in my direction and steaming. Her face angry and so very beautiful.

"Leave him alone," she growled. "And get out of Marco, you spineless piece of-"

A herd of guards burst into the room and began singling out the threat, which happened to be me. Toffee didn't cringe, but I did. This was going to hurt. A lot.

They all jumped on me, burying me in tons of body weight. Toffee channeled his strength and simply shoved them off. One of the guards went flying in Star's direction and landed on her. I could hear her groan as the guard immediately got off her and apologized profusely.

It didn't take me long to kill them all. The last guard swung his chains but I took him out after the fight became stale.

Star got up shakily. Her crown sat tilted on her head. She glared at me furiously.

"How's that for spineless?" Toffee asked.

She balled her hands up. "How dare you do this today! On my first day of being queen! Couldn't you have waited until I had this all down?" Her wand began spinning and a bright pink beam hit me square in the chest.

I hit my head against the concrete floor and everything was dark for about ten seconds. When I opened my eyes I could control my own body.

I was picked up and chains placed around my feet and hands by two guards. They dragged me away as Star ran over to Tom. She glanced at me for the briefest moment and turned back to him.

"Wait!" I said. "Star, I'm sorry! It's me, Marco!"

With a wave of her hand, I was dragged to the dungeon.

They threw me unceremoniously in the cell.

"Wait! I'm not Toffee!" I shook the bars with rage.

I fell back when I stepped away as Star charged at me.

"What was that?" She asked. She searched my face.

Raking my hands through my hair, I gripped my head. "I don't know."

"How long have you known that Toffee was in your head?"

"Just right now. I mean…I heard it when I woke up after the fight. It never clicked."

"When we slept together," she asked uncomfortably, "were you doing it to get revenge?"

I looked away. "Yes and no. I love you, Star. I realized all the things Toffee told me were lies. I was coming to tell you but then, that happened." I waved my hand toward the throne room.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to."

She turned to leave and stopped for a moment, "I'm going to search for a spell to get him out of you. But after that, you have to leave."

"Leave?"

"I can't live with someone who hates me and who sided with Toffee." Tears began to run down her face. "I love you."

I was stuck in the dungeon for three months. Tom and Star's engagement was back on track. I heard the whispers from the guards, they would get married before the year was over.

The boredom was excruciating so I continued exercising vigorously. I heard nothing but threats from Toffee and I would wake up with a sore body, painful blisters, or bruises. He was taking his revenge out on me.

Then one day, Star came. Accompanied by body guards and extra protection from me. She glowed, her face bright.

She stared at me indecisively, a worried look on her face.

"I figured out the spell," she said softly. She nodded to one of the guards and he unlocked my chains.

I rubbed my wrists as I stretched. "What now?"

She gestured for me to follow and I did.

'Moon is in the entrance hall where they will separate you from me. I want you to kill her then,' Toffee muttered in my head.

"No," I murmured lowly so no one would hear me. "I'm done with you."

Again the chilling wave and I couldn't move from my spot. Now I stood in front of Moon, River, Tom, and the High Commission.

No weapon appeared, only a green bolt to Moon's chest was seen come from my hands. Outraged ensued. Star ran to her mother as River and Tom attacked me.

Star placed her hands above Moon and concentrated. She was channeling her inner magic, healing her mom.

I swatted River aside as Tom slammed a fist in my face.

"You'll have to do better than that, demon king." Toffee chuckled as he told Tom. I punched his gut and he stifled the pain with gritted teeth.

Star finished helping her mom and ran to help him.

"Marco! Fight him!" She yelled as her wand began to glow. "I know you're in there. Toffee can't control all of you." I ducked a ray of blue blasted over my head.

"Sorry, Queen. Marco isn't available right now." I heard myself say happily.

With a wave of my hand, an indestructible titanium box trapped her in. The air in it would slowly turn poisonous. She'd be dead in under ten minutes.

I left her alone and went after Moon. The old queen stared at me sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Toffee." A tear ran down her cheek. "About how things ended between us. About everything."

I stopped walking. Toffee wasn't sure whether or not to believe her. I took advantage of his distraction and tried to regain control again. I mentally wrestled against him but he slammed me back.

"It's too late for apologies," I said. I snatched her up to her feet.

I was tackled back by Tom and hit the floor painfully. River opened a portal and shoved Moon through it before jumping after her himself.

My head snapped back as Tom landed a punch on my jaw.

"Snap out of it, Marco!" He growled. "Fight him."

'I'm trying!' I wanted to scream.

"He can't fight me," Toffee answered for me. "Even if you do succeed in separating us, there's no guarantee that he'll live. I've been keeping him alive." I launched him off of me with my feet.

"Star will figure it out," Tom groaned. He grabbed his side. "You need to take control."

Star banged on the wall of the box weakly. Her face was pale and blotchy.

"You need to let her out of there." Tom shot blasts of lightning at the box but it did nothing except leave scorch marks.

"No, I don't," Toffee answered.

"I'm not talking to you." He responded. He turned to me with resigned eyes. "Star wants you. She doesn't want to marry me. And she needs you now more than ever."

"And why is that?" Toffee asked.

Tom stared beyond him and for a moment I knew he was looking straight at me. "Because, Star's pregnant."

A shock ran through both me and Toffee. Toffee began laughing. I summoned all of my concentration and little by little, he lost control. There was no way I could let him kill Star. She was going to have my baby.

The second he disappeared, the box fell away and Star collapsed on the floor. She took giant gulps of air.

"You did it," she gasped. "Let's get him out of you."

Tom helped her stand and walked her over to me. I stepped away.

"I almost killed you," I said. "It'd be better if I just left."

Surprise flew across her face. "No. You can't. You're going to be a dad. You can't leave your child."

I laughed bitterly. "Damn it, Star! I almost killed you! If you can't get him out of my head I'll be worried about hurting the baby too. He's too powerful. He'll always be there."

"No."

"Evil will always be lurking under the surface. I can't stay. Marry Tom." My dimensional scissors cut a slit in the air. "This is what's best."

"No," she cried out as she ran to me. "I can cure you! Let me try!"

"I love you, Star. I'm sorry." I jumped through the portal. I didn't even concentrate on a specific location. I just let Fate take me wherever it wanted.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Sorry for the shortness!_

Chapter 12 Star

"Did you find him?" I demanded to know as Tom and a dozen guards appeared through a portal.

Tom wearily shook his head as he loosened his tie. "No. Hekapoo can usually track down dimensional scissors whereabouts, seeing as she's the creator, but she feels nothing on Marco. He clearly didn't think of a specific dimension when he went through. It's like he disappeared."

"Or he died!" I cried out. "What if he died?!"

Tom went over to me, placing both hands on either side of my face he said, "Calm down. All this tension isn't good for your baby." He smiled, "Breathe. We'll find him." His smile seemed a bit forced but I appreciated the effort.

When he found out about me sleeping with Marco, he was bat shit furious. Not at me, well yeah also at me, but more at Marco. According to Tom, Marco had taken advantage of me.

But I had taken responsibility and acknowledged that it was partly my fault too. I have to admit, seeing Marco back in his older body had excited me. Sure, he was leaner and slightly less muscular. But God he was hot. And while I loved Tom, I was still very much in love with Marco.

And then came the Blood Moon Ball and the fact that an engagement on Mewni was binding and barely avoidable. It seemed that every time Tom and I announced our engagement or were about to get married, we were interrupted. So I was beginning to think we weren't going to happen. Starco would be the outcome…apparently.

Or might not be if Marco never came back. And if he never came back, I was going to fucking kill him. How? I had no idea, I was still trying to figure it out.

"How was today?" Tom asked as he walked me to the sitting room. "Did the King of Caldor return?"

Two years ago, Prince Justin had recently become King Justin after his father was assassinated by a monster. My mom had sent troops to help stop the rebellion happening in their kingdom, after all they did help us. After becoming queen, King Justin had approached me with another marriage offer. Hearing that Marco had returned and that I was pregnant, he wanted to reinstate the old agreement.

It was a bit embarrassing explaining that Marco had left. Even after explaining why Marco had left, King Justin still wanted a marriage.

"Yes," I tiredly said. "He even brought both of his twins."

King Justin and Queen Marigold thought they were having just one son, but they ended up with two twin baby boys. Wayne was the oldest and Ryder was the youngest by only an hour. They had just turned six the week before. They were cute little boys, black hair and green eyes.

Tom scowled, "I should just tell him to leave you alone about this."

"No," I objected. "I don't have time for that right now. There's a group that wants me off the throne for not marrying as soon as I was crowned queen and I need your help on that. It's one bloody battle after another." Thought I technically had another six months to marry, there was a group called Get Star Butterfly Off The Throne Organization. I should just have them beheaded and done with. But then I would be seen as a ruler who got rid of anyone who opposed her.

"As you wish," he smiled.

I grinned tiredly, " I do wish…thanks for being my friend, Tom."

A sad smile spread across his face. "Of course."

"Queen Star," a guard said. "Miss Janna is here." The guard was shoved aside by Janna. She had a giant grin for Tom and me. I also noticed how her eyes stayed on Tom for a second too long. Perfect.

"Yes," I squealed. Tom and Janna stared at me weirdly. I cleared my throat, "I mean yes, let her in."

"Uh, Star?" Janna asked worriedly. "I'm already in."

"I know that," I chuckled. "I won't be able to have the luncheon today. Why don't you and Tom go ahead and go?" I raised an eyebrow and it caused her to blush. Tom looked away to check his phone.

I pulled Janna away from him. "Dude, I know you like him."

Janna's face lost all its color. "You do."

"Relax. I just want you to make Tom fall in love with you."

"But why?"

"Because I want him to move on," I answered as I peeked at him. "I still love Marco. I won't give up on finding him."

She pulled me into a hug, "Thank you. Now how do I make him fall in love with me?"

I giggled as I let go of her. "I'm not sure. You'll figure it out."

I was awakened in the middle of the night the same day with pounding on the door. After making sure it wasn't an assassin, the guard opened the door to let me greet the unwelcome person. It was Tom.

"I found him."

Tom looked exhausted and tired. His clothes were all messed up and the edges of his pants were burned. His hair was all tangled. He was covered in scratches and bruises.

"You found who?" I sleepily asked. "Hey!"

He tugged a long jacket on me and pulled me out the door. I protested. The guards blocked his way and raised their swords but stopped as I lifted a hand. I let him pull me along and he opened a portal.

Word of advice, don't jump or get tugged through a portal when you're six months pregnant. You might fall. And scream like a little baby.

"Where are we?" I questioned Tom angrily as I looked around at my surroundings. It was no dimension I had ever seen before. It was a swamp, water and mud everywhere. The air steamed and the mosquitoes were merciless.

"The Swamp dimension. It's forbidden, everything here is poisonous if you aren't careful." Tom shrugged as he pulled me from a pond.

I felt the biggest frown I had ever given anyone come onto my face. "Why the fuck would you bring me here then!"

"Because Marco is here."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Marco

I discovered the Swamp dimension three years after the war ended. I learned the hard way that everything was poisonous if you weren't careful.

It thrived on bad energy and vibes. Like the happy-sucking magician, Preston Change-O, it took your happiness. It planted bad thoughts in your head. Toffee didn't help either. He kept shocking and hurting my body in hopes that I'd return and kill Moon.

I laid in pain in a patch of thorny grass, I had eaten the wrong plant by mistake earlier the previous day. The numbing feeling made it hard to move quickly. There were a pair of old, mean dragons that chased me not long after I ate the plant.

Their fiery breath burned the edges of my pants and the tips of my hair and some of my arms. The pain made me hallucinate into thinking that Tom was there.

Through a thick haze I heard him cussing up a storm.

"Damn it, Marco!" He snarled as he shook me. "If you're alive move your arm or blink or talk or something!"

My throat was dry. I couldn't say anything. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the dragons. I managed to mumble out a few words of warning to him.

He pointed back at me, ordering someone to stay with me. They blew fire and encased him in it. His clothes began to burn. He killed the dragons quickly. "I'll be back. Don't let him die."

The person in charge of me bandaged me up. Even Toffee was too weak to convince me to kill him. I couldn't have moved even if I had wanted to. I fell asleep and was woken up by feminine shouting.

"Then why the fuck would you bring me here?!"

There was something familiar about the voice.

"Marco is here."

The woman gasped. "Then get me out of this pond and let's go find him. This place is bad news."

It was Star. Star had come here. What the hell was Tom thinking? This place was a death trap. And she was around six months pregnant with my child. She shouldn't be here!

I struggled into a seating position and allowed the man to give me water. I was going to kill Tom Lucitor. Painfully, slowly. The bastard deserved it.

Tom walked out of the bushes and held it out of the way for Star. She walked out in a thing white nightgown. The flimsy thing was doing nothing to protect her from the mosquitos or bugs.

The thing I noticed more about her was her round belly. A soft glow lit her face. She looked beautiful, uncomfortable but beautiful.

She cried out as she saw me. "Marco!" She ran over to me and fell to her knees. Throwing her arms around me, she hugged me tightly. Her belly got in the way.

I sighed in relief of being in her arms again. "Star," I whispered. "Or should I say 'Your Majesty'?" I chuckled weakly.

She swatted my arm as she sniffed the tears away. "Let's get you out of here. It isn't safe here." She wrapped an arm around my waist and struggled to get me up.

Tom saw her struggling and came to help.

"No," I protested. "I don't want to hurt you."

Tom elbowed me in the ribs painfully. "Shut up. You're in no condition to hurt anyone."

Star started breathing heavily. "We'll get you to the palace and start the spell." There was a hesitant note in her voice.

I knew her well enough to know something was wrong. Like that time she tried to fix my octopus arm. "What is it?"

She stopped walking and placed her hands on her hips while she bent over slightly. "There's a chance you might die." She tilted forward a bit to much and almost lost her balance.

I reached out to steady her and ended up falling on my face. I scowled up at Tom and he gave me a fake apologetic look.

"Sorry, man." He picked me up again.

"I might die anyway," I answered Star. "Just get him out of me."

We got to the portal and I wasn't surprised to see Janna guarding it. She twirled her scissors around on her finger.

She frowned. "You look like hell."

"Fuck you," I muttered.

"Isn't that what got you in trouble?" She raised an eyebrow and pointed in Star's direction.

'Kill her,' Toffee answered. 'She's annoying.'

"Shut up," I snapped.

Tom tensed up. "Is he back?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Let's move quickly." He said.

That would be the moment the pond exploded, the water sprayed on us like hot knives. I shielded Star as best I could but I could tell by her gasps that she gotten burned.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I searched her for injuries.

She grinned as she brushed her hair back. "I'm going to faint. I don't feel so good."

"Wait, what?" I asked as she passed out in my arms. I staggered under her weight, grateful when Tom took her up easily in his arms. "Tom, I'm going to pull your bowels out for endangering Star and my kid."

"Janna," Tom gritted out as he ignored me, "close and reopen the portal. Focus on Mewni and nothing else."

Her face was pale and sweaty as she nodded. Her hands shook while they sliced the scissors through the air. Tom jumped through the portal and reappeared a couple of minutes later. He tossed Janna through and then helped me.

"I'm not an invalid!" I grumbled.

He scoffed. "You couldn't get through it without help. Shut up and let me help you."

Of course, his idea of help was launching me into it and I landed in a heap on the floor. There were guards ready for me. I was handcuffed immediately and chained to the wall of the throne room.

Star groaned as she woke up, the air from Mewni revived her unlike the air from the swamp area. I could tell something was wrong by the way she clutched her belly.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. I could feel my strength returning. Toffee stirred in the back of my mind. Star turned white as a ghost and moaned again as they placed her in a chair. "Star, what's wrong?"

Moon burst through the doors along with River and headed directly for Star. "Star, what's wrong, dear?" Her mom asked. Star mumbled something weakly and Moon nodded. She placed her hands over Star's stomach and concentrated.

I pulled at my chains, scared as I stared at the love of my life. "What's wrong?!"

The wall shook as I tried to escape from the bounds on my wrists. Tom frowned and ran over to me. "Hey! Dude! Calm down."

"What's wrong with Star?" I snarled as I kept pulling. "Tell me!"

Tom's lips pressed together and he looked away. "The baby's coming."

I stopped tugging. "But it's too early." She was only six months along.

"Moon's trying to stabilize her," Tom assured.

'She's going to die and leave you all alone,' Toffee whispered evilly. 'If she dies it's Moon's fault for not saving her.'

"No," I whispered. "She can't die. My baby can't die either." I struggled against the bonds. I needed to get to Star. I needed to kill Moon. I need to kill Moon.

Tom pushed me back, "she's not going to die!"

I watched as Moon collapsed on River. Star moaned as she slept. "Is she okay?" My question came out small and scared.

Moon turn toward with a tiny frightened smile. "She will be fine." River kissed the top of her head. She stood up and wobbled. I had the sudden urge to escape and I began tugging on the chains again.

The guards went to stand in between Moon and I. I narrowed my gaze on her and she paled.

"Hello, Moon." Toffee said. With a light tug I was able to get free. "Did you save your daughter?"

Tom's hands flamed up. "Marco."

"It's Toffee," I answered with a flick of my wrist. To Toffee's dismay, Tom didn't fly backwards as always. He stayed firmly in place. But it required a lot of strength, he started sweating and breathing heavily.

"I'm the damned king of the underworld," Tom snarled as he threw a ball of fire at me. "I'm a lot stronger than some damn lizard."

I struggled to take control of my body and I cheered Tom on mentally. I could hear Tom chanting some incantation as another fireball grew in his hand.

I had no idea what he was saying but Toffee obviously did by the way a cold sensation spread through me.

"I see you learn one of the oldest separation spells there is," Toffee nervously chuckled. "It requires a lot mental strength. Are you sure you have it?"

Tom laughed, "of course I'm sure. Janna's been helping me. And you need a lot of mental strength to be around her."

He released fire at rapid speed, causing me to duck and dodge. All the while, Tom kept changing.

I had no idea what he was saying by Toffee became more nervous by the second. I felt Toffee slowly weakening, I could feel his presence no longer strong.

I began helping Tom by mentally fighting with Toffee. I wrestled for control.

Out of my peripheral, I saw Star stand up, looking refreshed and confident as she pointed her wand at me.

She joined Tom in the chanting and a beam of pure pink spilled over me. I stopped moving. Star called me to help and I pictured myself pushing Toffee out of a doorway.

They finally drew his presence out through my chest. Toffee knelt before us, looking up to casually smile at Star. He became whole and I was suddenly aware he was naked. I looked away as I stumbled backwards. I was tired, exhausted. I wanted to lay down for hours and just sleep.

"Queen Star." Toffee addressed her. "It's a pleasure seeing you again."

Star scowled as she stepped forward. "Any last words? Before I blow you to pieces?"

He shrugged, grinning and nodding in my direction. "Marco is about to die. I was the only thing keeping him alive."

Star's gaze flew to me. Her eyes widened. I knew I looked awful, I felt it.

I coughed weakly as I sat down. "Don't worry about me. Kill him. Do it!"

Tears filled her eyes as she battled with herself. If she killed off Toffee, then I would most likely die. Or she could put him back in me and I would live.

"I love you, Star. You're my best friend. But if you don't kill him, then our baby and you and the rest of our families will die," I tiredly said.

She nodded and whispered another spell, a much more powerful one than before. The last of Toffee faded from me and everything went dark.

I woke up to find myself alone in a bed. By the looks of the vintage furniture, I was at the Butterfly castle. My mouth was dry and felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

The room was huge and the windows were open, the curtains swaying in the wind. I sighed in relief as a breeze blew across the room and on me.

I heard the soft clack of shoes and her beautiful face appear above me. Her eyes sparkled as she burst out into a grin.

"Am I dead?" I croaked out.

She hugged me tightly as I sat up. "No, you're alive."

"Great. Will you marry me?" I asked.

She stopped breathing. "What did you say?"

"Marry me, Star. I know I've been an asshole but I love you."

"Marco…"

I took her face in my hands, "marry me. Please?"

She nodded slowly, "okay."

Star was gorgeous, as always, on our wedding day. Her belly was big and round. And since the entire population of Mewni knew she wasn't a virgin (thanks to me), she wore a blood red dress with her horns. The group that had been trying to get her off the throne disappeared.

While she walked down the aisle I noticed Tom and Janna holding hands. And on Janna's left ring finger was a black diamond ring. I gave Janna a thumbs up.

"If anyone believes these two people should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest said.

Everyone collectively held their breath as they waited for something to ruin the ceremony as I did. But nothing happened.

"You may kiss your bride," the priest told me.

And kiss Star I did. I held her like she was the last person on earth. I loved her. I wasn't going to ever leave her.

"One more push, Star!" I said as I held her hand. She gripped it painfully tight.

"Shut up!" She snapped. "I'm going to kill you!"

I winced as her grip tightened. "I love you too."

Finally, the baby was born. A baby girl with tiny silver blue crescent moons and blonde hair and brown eyes. The nurses wrapped her in a soft blanket and handed her to me.

"Hey, darling." I whispered as I juggled her over to Star.

Star beamed down at the girl with a wide grin. "Luna. Her name is Luna."

"That's Spanish for Moon," I reminded her.

"Exactly."

The doctor and midwife cleared their throats. "There seems to be another baby coming."

"What?" Star and I both said at the same time. "Twins?"

Ten minutes later, another baby girl made her way into the world. This baby had no markings on her face. She had a head of dark brown hair and the bluest of eyes.

"What's her name?" I asked my wife.

"Sol."

"Sun?" I chuckled, "she doesn't look like a ray of sunshine."

Star shrugged, "I don't care. Luna and Sol. Night and day. They need to balance each other out."

I kissed the top of her head. "Whatever you want."

King Justin returned again with Queen Marigold. They brought their two twin boys.

"Uh," Star said as she carried Luna out to receive them, "one thing. Justin wants out children to marry. You know. Like the original plan was."

"He still remembered that?"

"Yeah. I think it would do both kingdoms good."

I stared down at Sol, her spikey eyeslashes fanned across her cheeks. "So do I." We gave the children over to the nannies and they played in a separate room.

So King Justin and I drew up a plan. Star and Marigold listened carefully.

"We would like for Wayne, our oldest, to marry your youngest." Justin said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It's the way things are on Caldor."

I nodded and Star did too. "What about Luna? Or will one marriage suffice?"

Justin sat further back into the sofa. "Ryder will marry Luna."

"So," Star interrupted, "Your oldest with our youngest. And your youngest with our oldest? Won't that be a little weird?"

Marigold softly said, "our sons are six years older so not really."

Star signed the contract, cutting her palm and pressing it into the parchment to seal the deal. King Justin, Queen Marigold, and I did the same. Now it was binding. Not much could break it.

Five days later they returned with urgent news. They said it was important to speak to us and only us. The secret was to be kept between the rulers of Mewni and Caldor.

We sealed ourselves off in a soundproof room.

"What is it?" I asked Justin.

Marigold had a scared look on her face and she sat near her husband.

"We've received a prophecy from the Oracle of Caldor," she whispered.

Star laced her fingers through mine. "What kind of prophecy?"

"It said, 'The oldest son will betray the kingdom and abandon his duties and return with great corruption. The youngest shall be absent for a time and return with glory and what was once lost. The two will clash in differences and one shall rise and one shall fall."

I stood up and paced. "Do your kids know about this?"

Justin shook his head, "no. They're good children."

Star nodded, "then don't tell them."

"Star," I warned.

"No, Marco. It's better not too. If you tell him then he'll grow up thinking he's bad." Star firmly said. She turned to the other couple, "keep it a secret. It might not come true. Not all prophecies are what they seem."

Later that night, Janna and Tom showed up for dinner. Justin and Marigold decided to head home and didn't stay.

"Ah!" Star squealed. She ran over to hug Janna. "Congratulations! How does it feel to be queen of the underworld?"

They had gotten married two days ago. Deciding on eloping, they headed off to Las Vegas.

Janna smirked as she punched me in the arm. "Boring. Very boring."

Tom slung an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "We're having a baby."

"Congrats, man." I slapped his shoulder as Star squeaked again.

Star bounced on her toes cheerfully. "What are you going to name him?"

Janna cocked an eyebrow. "How are you sure it's a boy?"

She stopped bouncing and spun around to Tom, "did you forget to tell her?"

"Tell me what?"

Tom nervously scratched his neck, "the first kid is always a boy down in the Underworld."

She scowled, "since you forgot, I want him to be named Lucifer."

"Whoa," I muttered.

"Lucifer Lucitor?" Tom pondered as he chuckled. "Whatever you want."

After dinner they said in the guest wing. Star and I kissed the babies goodnight and headed to the royal chambers.

We stood on the balcony overlooking Mewni.

"I can't believe everything worked out." She said.

"Except for Glossaryk."

Her eyes widened, "Holy shit. Glossaryk!"

"Did someone say Glossaryk!" A tiny voice said behind us. There floating in the air in his usual short robe and head stone was Glossaryk.

Star got mad. Really mad. "Where the hell have you been?!" I was forced to hold her against me in fear of her blasting him into another dimension.

Glossaryk belched and stretched. "Oh. You know, here and there."

Star started crying and she put her face against my chest. "I didn't know what happened to you."

Glossaryk patted her head awkwardly, as if he were trying to apologize. "You had to go through this to grow. I knew you would do great!"

Now it was my turn to become mad. "Wait. You knew all of this would happen? Me dying and getting possessed by Toffee? Star getting engaged to Tom?"

Glossaryk's eyes spun. "Point for Marco Diaz! I did it because I love you."

I snatched him from midair and stuffed him in a box. Sealing it with tape, I locked him in a closet.

"Ugh…its dark in here."

Star scowled as she crossed her arms. "You're going to stay there until you apologize."

"Could you a least give me some pudding?"

"No!" Star and I yelled simultaneously.

"Fine. But don't you at least want to know why Sol doesn't have an embellishment on her cheeks?" His voice was muffled. I dug him from the closet.

I shook the box, "why?"

"Because she won't be the ruler of Mewni."

"Then Luna will?" Star asked.

"Yes. Ryder and Luna will be the next to rule the throne."

"What about Sol?" I questioned. "Wayne is supposed to turn evil and corrupt."

"Oh," he said lightly, his voices blurred. "Sol won't marry Wayne."

Star slightly yelled, "who will she marry then?"

Glossaryk laughed. "Oh. That's a secret."

We laid there, holding each other.

Finally content. Finally happy.

I kissed Star, knowing that she was the love of my life. "I love you."

"I love you."


	14. Character Interview

MsAllThingsFiction: So Star…how are you?

Star: I'm not sure I even want to speak to you.

MsAllThingsFiction:Why?

Star: Because you put me through hell!

MsAllThingsFiction: Fair enough. But it was for your own good.

Star: You're weird. I thought this was supposed to be a quick in and out. Marco confesses his love for me and we go home. What happened to that?

MsAllThingsFiction: I'm not even sure. I just got all of these cool ideas and decided you should go through them with me.

Star: Fuck you!

MsAllThingsFiction: Marco, why did you let Toffee take over your body?

Marco: You're the author! You tell me!

MsAllThingsFiction: I did it because I love you. *pulls ring from pocket* Marco Diaz, will you marry me?

Marco: You know Star is right behind you, right? She's gonna kill you.

MsAllThingsFiction: What? *Gets attacked by Star* Ahh!

MsAllThingsFiction: *trying to fix messed up hair* So Tom…can you guys please stop making out? *Tom and Janna making out in the chairs*

Tom: Sorry, no can do. Come back in an hour. *throws me out of the room*

MsAllThingsFiction: *brushes dirt from pants* Guys. You have to work with me or else this interview will take too long. Come on, I miss my dog.

Minotaur: You can interview me. *Hot tall guy with gorgeous green eyes and black hair comes sliding into the room* Actually, never mind gotta run. *Runs through the wall to get away*

MsAllThingsFiction: You have to pay for that!

Guy with green eyes: Have you seen the Minotaur?

MsAllThingsFiction: No, but I've seen your new girlfriend. *Wink wink* it's me.

Guy with green eyes: sorry, I already have a girlfriend. I'm Percy Jackson by the way. Bye.

MsAllThingsFiction: Finally! A grown up to interview! So Moon, tell me all the dirty little secrets you have with Toffee.

Moon: Uhhh…that wasn't what the script says. You're supposed to ask me about my grandchildren.

MsAllThingsFiction: Did you and Toffee have an affair? Is that why he was so angry?

Moon: I…I've got to go.

MsAllThingsFiction: Moon and Toffee sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love then comes the excruciating pain of the fact that you let him go and married a man a foot shorter than you.

Moon: We only kissed once!

MsAllThingsFiction: Only once?

Moon: Twice! Ten-fifteen times! Don't judge me! *jumps through the window*

MsAllThingsFiction: Nice talking to you!

MsAllThingsFiction: *Staring at Toffee looking quite hot in a suit* Aren't you supposed to be dead?

Toffee: I am.

MsAllThingsFiction: then why are you here?

Toffee: I heard you were interviewing people. Go ahead, ask me a question.

MsAllThingsFiction: Ummm…what's your favorite thing to eat?

Toffee: Moon. Well, it was nice talking to you. Bye. *Leaves*

MsAllThingsFiction: But Moon isn't a food!...oh…never mind.

MsAllThingsFiction: You guys suck at interviews.

Star: we're just giving you a hard time. You know, like you did to us.

MsAllThingsFiction: will you ever get over that?

Marco: No.

Star: No.

Moon: No.

Guards that died: No.

Toffee: No.

Tom: No.

Janna: Sure.

All of them: Janna!

Janna: What? She didn't do anything to me. Besides, she let me name my kid Lucifer. Pretty cool.

A/N: thanks guys for reading! I had a blast writing this fanfic! It's kept my mind off of Star Vs The Forces of Evil for a while. I appreciate all of the lovely comments and PM's. If you'd like a story about Star's children please comment. I love you all. Have a great summer!

-MsAllThingsFiction


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